Media backlash followed after this image of MP Rasah Teo Kok Seong, along with activists Mandeep Singh, and Adam Adli in chains circulated on social media over the weekend.
The Pakatan Rakyat youth wing today urged the police to stop detaining organisers of the #KitaLawan rally on March 7.
“We believe that our (opposition leaders) arrests and detention along with our non-governmental organisation (NGO) comrades are an act of infringement of the right of the rakyat and all citizens to hold peaceful rallies,” Pakatan Rakyat Youth leaders Suhaizan Kaiat (PAS), Teo Kok Seong (DAP) and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (PKR) in a joint statement today said.
In the statement, the youth leaders said that Section 9 (5) of the Peaceful Assembly Act and the Section 143 of the Penal code were used to intimidate organisers of the rally.
“We firmly object to the use of these Acts to manipulate the law to justify (menghalalkan) the orders of their political leaders,” they said.
The opposition youth leaders also demanded that those detained for the #KitaLawan rally be released immediately.
Last year, the Court of Appeal had ruled unconstitutional the use of the Act to criminalise peaceful public assemblies in a case that saw Nik Nazmi relieved of all charges for organising the Blackout 505 rally in Kelana Jaya on May 8 last year.
However, both Teo and Nik Nazmi were arrested last week for organising the Kita Lawan rally.
Teo, MP for Rasah, along with activist Adam Adli and Bersih activist Mandeep Singh were pictured cuffed and chained to one another, a picture which went viral in social media over the weekend.
Teo, was released on bail on Sunday, while Adam Adli and Mandeep would be remanded until Tuesday for “further investigations”.
“We and our NGO comrades are the free youth who respect the law in Malaysia, we should not be treated like criminals,” said Teo, Nik and Suhaizan.
“We, the PR Youth hold on to our principles to uphold fairness and to fight for the oppressed, and we will continue to fight. We will not stop until the Prime Minister steps down for the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal and Anwar Ibrahim’s imprisonment,” they added.
The leaders also urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to stop the “bullying” and the infringement of the right to hold a peaceful assembly as granted by the Federal Constitution.
-The Rocket
