Cops nab Suaram officer briefly, probed for alleged trespass of govt premises

Summary

• Police detain Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy for allegedly entering Home Ministry without a pass.

• Sevan is released after an hour of questioning.

• Sevan’s detention is related to an incident on Monday where he accompanied family members of 32 Sosma detainees who wanted to meet Home Ministry officers.

Police have arrested Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy for allegedly entering the Home Ministry headquarters in Putrajaya without a pass.

However, he was later released after being questioned for about an hour.

According to a press alert the human rights group sent out, this was over an incident on Monday where Sevan and Suaram programme manager Azura Nasron were accompanying family members of 32 detainees who wanted to meet Home Ministry representatives.

The detainees are being held under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).

Suaram said officers from the Putrajaya district police headquarters picked up Sevan at the Suaram office, while Azura has yet to be arrested as she is on medical leave.

It was alleged that the police initially informed Suaram that they only wanted to record Sevan and Azura's statements.

"Before the police arrived this morning, they had informed the two that they were coming to serve a 111 notice, but ambushed them with an arrest instead," it said in a brief statement, referring to Section 111 of the Criminal Procedure Code that gives police the power to summon a person to a police station.

Confirming the matter, Suaram documentation and monitoring coordinator Jernell Tan said the police arrested Sevan at about 1.20pm and he was taken to the Putrajaya district police headquarters.

“About six officers arrived and arrested him. After asking about 12 to 14 questions, they released him,” she said, adding the officers confirmed Sevan’s arrest after being asked by the latter twice.

She added that the police confirmed that Sevan was being investigated under Section 7 of the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act 1959 (Revised 1983).

Tan also pointed out that the officers were cordial and did not put handcuffs on Sevan. He was released about an hour later.

No arrest

Putrajaya district police chief Aidi Sham Mohamed denied that Sevan was arrested earlier.

“Not arrested. Just took his statement,” he told Malaysiakini in a brief message.

However, Sevan dismissed Aidi’s assertion, adding the arresting officer had confirmed the arrest.

“Initially, the officer said they just wanted to take my statement but when I asked whether it could be done on another day, the officer said no.

“And when I asked if I was being arrested, he said yes and I was taken to the Putrajaya district police headquarters in a police vehicle,” he told Malaysiakini.

He added that the police also seized his MyKad in the process.

A video aired live by Suaram on social media during the incident appeared to back Sevan’s version of events, where an plainclothes officer is heard answering in the affirmative when Sevan asked if he was being arrested.

Queried on the questions posed, Sevan said he merely stated he would answer them in court and the police released him.

Memorandum submitted

On Monday, Sevan and Azura accompanied the family members when they submitted a memorandum pertaining to Sosma at the Home Ministry office.

The group also demanded a meeting with Home Ministry representatives to discuss the well-being of the detainees, who have been on a hunger strike since Saturday.

According to a Suaram Facebook post on the event, the ministry later allowed six people to represent the group to enter the building, where they had a meeting with an aide to Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

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