According to reports by The Star, activist, and famed human rights lawyer Siti Kasim has been arrested by the police for helping a woman trying to escape her controlling, abusive mother.
She was arrested by police who barged into her house and detained Anis, her client.
The arrest, which was broadcasted on Facebook live and went viral, was initially thought to have been due to kidnapping but was later denied.
Selangor CID chief Senior Asst Comm Fadzil Ahmat said that the arrest was not due to kidnapping but only for obstructing police.
“She was arrested under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing a public servant in the discharge of his duties,” he said when contacted after the video went viral. In the video there was actually mention of being arrested for kidnapping as well!
According to Siti on a Facebook post, the client Anis Izzatty Ruslan, who is an adult, had tried to leave her mother for being overly controlling.
The client’s mother had lodged a police report claiming that her daughter was mentally unstable and that her aqidah (faith) was in question.
Siti also claimed that the client was then “abducted” by police and the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS).
The client is said to have moved out of her parents’ house to escape her “controlling” mother who allegedly strangled her. However, she was questioned by JAIS before being taken to Hospital Kajang for a mental health assessment, and was released thereafter.
Source: Facebook
She has been staying with Siti since she was released. Anis can be seen in the background of the video saying that she wasn’t kidnapped, and was instead in Siti’s home of her own will. Her aunts are in the background as well, and seem to be in support of their niece and Siti. Apparently, they had damaged her house when they entered it to take the ‘victim’, Anis to the station.
Marina Mahathir has also come to her aid in a Facebook comment on one of the live videos that was posted.
Source: Facebook
How dramatic! Stay tuned for more updates on the ongoing case!
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