Sunday Times 2
Malaysian activists held after May Day protest
View(s):KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 (AFP) -More than two dozen protesters including a leading human rights activist and opposition lawmakers have been detained in Malaysia in what one lawyer said today was an attempt to silence government critics.
Human rights activist Ambiga Sreenevasan (REUTERS)
The demonstrators were arrested late Friday following a May Day rally that drew thousands to the streets of Kuala Lumpur, their lawyers said.
Among those arrested was Ambiga Sreenevasan, a widely respected human rights activist and former president of Malaysia’s Bar Council who campaigns for democratic and electoral reforms.
Her lawyer N. Surendran said Ambiga was being detained for sedition and for unlawful assembly with an intention to overthrow the government.
“This is ridiculous,” he told AFP.
“These arrests are scare tactics by the police to deter people from opposing the government.” He added that police would seek to extend Ambiga’s detention on Saturday.
Phil Robertson, the deputy director of Human Rights Watch, called her arrest “absolutely outrageous” and added, “speaking and attending a rally is not a crime, let her go unconditionally”.
Among other prominent figures arrested were the chief of the Socialist Party of Malaysia and a senior lawmaker from the opposition Democratic Action Party.
Local media reported that opposition People’s Justice Party secretary-general Rafizi Ramli was also arrested on Saturday.
“This wave of arrests should raise alarm bells among international friends of Malaysia about just how far the powers that be in Putrajaya are dragging the country off the path of democratic, rights-respecting governance,” Robertson said in a statement.