Pro-Palestine protesters arrive in court, find no case filed against them

The two protesters arrested during a pro-Palestinian rally last week arrived at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today, only to find that the police have yet to file a case against them.

The duo, who only identified themselves as Kamal and Nama, said police had informed them to appear at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, supposedly as part of their bail condition.

“As part of my bail condition, I was required to appear in court at 9am today. But it turns out that Wangsa Maju police didn’t even file the case.

“So, we’re basically here for nothing. It feels as if their intention was simply to inconvenience us,” Kamal (above, right) said during a press conference held in front of the court.

Kamal produced a copy of the police bail slip, sighted by Malaysiakini, instructing him to appear in court at the time and date stated.

On Oct 2, Malaysian Protest 4 Palestine (MP4P) organised a protest in front of the US embassy in solidarity with Palestine and the Global Sumud Flotilla members who were detained by the Israeli authorities.

A ruckus ensued between several protesters and police, leading to the duo’s arrest.

Kamal and Nama were later brought to Wangsa Maju district police headquarters, where they were in police custody for between six and seven hours.

They were later released on police bail on the same day.

Aggressive treatment

Touching on the incident, Kamal claimed that he was trying to de-escalate the situation, where five to six officers ended up rushing and crowding Nama, arresting him on the spot.

“I was one of the people trying to document what was happening to him. And then, I noticed several officers tried to snatch away my phone. They started behaving aggressively with me as well.

“I think what we have to emphasise is the power difference between the police and rakyat at the time.

“These are unarmed people (the protesters), mainly women, and elderly people. People from various backgrounds were there to voice their opposition to genocide,” he stated.

Kamal also alleged the police lied to his lawyers and family regarding his whereabouts, as calls from his parents to the police station were dismissed.

‘Just pray’

In an Instagram post yesterday, Kamal claimed that investigating officers had threatened them and belittled their solidarity with Palestine.

He alleged that the officers told them to “just pray” and stop “offending the sensitivities of the US government.”

Another MP4P member, only known as Fedya, told the press today that it was upsetting how pro-Palestinian protesters are being treated, especially for a country that claims to support the Palestinian struggle.

He said that the arrests that occurred last week mirrored how the Zionist regime is treating Palestinians, although on a smaller scale.

“It's starting to feel like we're in an open-air prison as well,” he said, adding they will continue to champion the plight of Palestinians.

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