Connect with us

News

Public Outrage as Malaysians Forcefully Dragged By PDRM For Holding Peaceful Vigil in Dataran Merdeka

Published

public outrage pdrm forcefully drag arrest
Source: @elrynnaa | Twitter & @elrynnaa | Twitter

Follow us on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest stories and updates daily.

Last night (19 Aug), 31 youth activists were arrested and dragged away by the police for holding a peaceful “candlelight vigil” at Dataran Merdeka in memory of the 13,000 people who have died due to Covid-19 in Malaysia.

According to NST, the People’s Solidarity Secretariat organised the event, the same group that organised the #Lawan rally. The event was scheduled to start at 8pm, but was apparently called off at the last minute.

However, several people still turned up, probably unaware that the rally had been called off.

 

Police dragged the participants by force

The police arrived not long after and detained 17 men and 14 women, some of whom were dragged by force without being read their rights and brought to the Dang Wangi headquarters. The police reportedly did not even tell them the reason why they were being arrested.

In the video, individuals were seen asking police officers, “Are we being arrested?”. However, they were never given an answer and were then dragged into the back of the police lorry.

Nalina, who was one of the participants there, documented the whole ordeal in her Instagram Live.

In one instance, she can be heard shouting,

“I’m not going anywhere until my rights are read to me!”

“I want to cooperate but am I being arrested??” while forcefully being dragged by police officers.

The participants had their handphones and Identification Cards (IC) seized and were questioned by the police.

Among those detained were #Lawan organiser Mohammad Asraf Sharaf, Undi18 co-founders Qyira Yusri and Tharma Pilai, and Misi Solidariti founder Sarah Irdina Mohamad Ariff.

 

Public outrage as police were accused of using intimidation and unnecessary force

The case went viral as PDRM was seen using force to haul individuals and many deemed this as unnecessary. Additionally, many highlighted that it was dangerous to cramp the participants into the back of the police truck without any safe distancing.

It was learnt that lawyers who arrived at the Dang Wangi police station were not allowed in for almost an hour, after which only two lawyers were allowed to enter the station.

According to updates on Twitter, the participants were released one by one with an RM2,000 fine after their statements were recorded.

PDRM said that the case is investigated under Section 9 of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2021 as they’ve failed to notify authorities of the gathering. The participants are also investigated for ‘gathering’ during a pandemic even though SOPs & safe distancing was practiced.

 

Undi18 condemns police intimidation

Undi18 have since released a statement, condemning the intimidation and lawful arrests made by the police against the participants.

They said that about 50 participants attended the candlelight vigil while strictly observing physical distancing per Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOP).

“Undi18 asserts that the lawful actions exercised by the police violated three fundamental rights guaranteed by the Federal Constitution: the right to assemble peaceably, the right to be informed of the grounds of their arrest, and right the legal representation,” the statement said.

“No citizen should be arrested without any reason and face police intimidation for gathering peacefully.”

#LawanIntimidasi is now trending on Twitter, but no official police reports have been released yet.

Stay tuned for more updates!

 

Also read: #Lawan Protest On 21 August Called Off Following Muhyiddin’s Resignation As PM

Lawan

Follow us on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest stories and updates daily.



Just In

collage 64 1 collage 64 1
News30 minutes ago

Penang Man Travels to Ipoh to Meet Woman He Met Through Gaming, Wakes up in Laos After Passing Out in Her Car

A 31-year-old guy from Penang met a woman through an online game, and they decided to meet up in Ipoh...

My Post 1 2025 03 19T124442.342 My Post 1 2025 03 19T124442.342
News2 hours ago

14yo M’sian Boy Nearly Loses Two Fingers After Firecracker Blast, Stepmum Finds Out a Day Later

A 14-year-old boy almost lost 2 fingers on his right hand in an incident that took place at Machang, Kelantan...

collage 71 collage 71
News4 hours ago

Pak Cik Who Slapped a 21yo Non-Muslim for Eating in Public During Ramadan Gets Charged in Court

The uncle who slapped a non-Muslim 21-year-old for eating publicly during Ramadan recently is getting charged at the Johor Bahru...

My Post 3 15 My Post 3 15
News4 hours ago

9 People End Up in Hospital After Attending a Party That Served Alcohol & Dog Meat

A group of 9 people ended up in a hospital after spending merely an hour at a party that served...

feat image cricket feat image cricket
News12 hours ago

15 Bangladeshi Men ‘Kantoi’ Trying to Smuggle into Malaysia by Posing as Cricket Athletes at KLIA

Fifteen Bangladeshi men came up with a rather cunning plan in trying to smuggle into Malaysia on Monday (17 March)...

feat image malaysia palestine feat image malaysia palestine
News18 hours ago

Foreign Minister Confirms Malaysia is Accepting 15 Released Palestinian Freedom Fighters as Part of Gaza Ceasefire Deal

Previously, we shared how Malaysia will reportedly be one of four countries that will be hosting Palestinians released by Israel...

collage 61 1 collage 61 1
News23 hours ago

Tebrau MP Says No One Has The Right to be “Moral Police” Following Viral Ramadan Slapping Incident

A non-Muslim man got slapped by someone for eating in public during Ramadan at a convenience store in a shopping...

My Post 4 26 My Post 4 26
News1 day ago

Foreign Man Seen Rampaging on the 10th Floor Ledge of KL Flat, Believed to be Under Influence of Drugs

The influence of drugs may allegedly be the reason a foreign man went on a rampage before attempting to jump...

Announcement

Latest Videos



TRENDING TODAY