Hundreds of activists took to the streets yesterday to assert their right to protest following a recent crackdown on public demonstrations that led to dozens of arrests.
Police used tear gas and water cannon and detained opposition leaders, on charges including illegal assembly and sedition after several banned rallies infuriated the government last month.
Five leaders of an ethnic Indian rights group Hindraf, that led some of the street demonstrations, are being held under the tough Internal Security Act which allows indefinite detention without trial.
"This right to assemble is very fundamental," rights group leader and organizer S. Arutchelvan said at yesterday's demonstration. "We want to go all out to protect this right because once you curb the right to freedom of assembly, then society goes downhill."
Arutchelvan, who is a leader of the opposition Malaysian Socialist Party, led the rally outside the Human Rights Commission before submitting a petition demanding the right to assemble to the rights body. At least 200 people turned up for the rally, which was closely watched by police.
Last week, police arrested several lawyers and supporters who took part in a UN Human Rights Day walk highlighting the right to assemble.
"If any event is seen as a dissenting voice then it is immediately stopped," said Latheefa Koya, who was among the those arrested previously.
"All rallies now seem to end up with someone being arrested and that is a clear sign of preventive measures done by the police, a real infringement on the right to assemble," she said.
Two major rallies last month, which police broke up using tear gas, water cannon and baton charges, shocked the nation: An electoral reform protest last month drew at least 30,000 people, and a week later 8,000 people protested against discrimination towards Indians.
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