Report: Malaysian Bar says ‘not backing down’ over plans to sue police for blocking protest last month
KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 — The Malaysian Bar will be suing the police for hindering a protest here last month, where protesters attempted to walk to Parliament and submit a memorandum regarding the preservation of the judiciary’s independence.
News portal The Malaysian Insight (TMI) quoted Bar president Karen Cheah as saying that the suit will be filed in August, and that lawyer Gurdial Singh will be representing them.
“We are not backing down, we are definitely commencing a suit against the police for all the transgressions that happened during the event,” she reportedly said, adding that the necessary documents are being prepared.
The protest in question, which occurred on June 17, had been organised by the Malaysian Bar, after online attacks against a judge that found former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak guilty of embezzling funds from a 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) subsidiary.
Some 220 individuals reportedly took part in the protest, largely made up of lawyers.
Police, however, blocked roads leading to Parliament building with a light strike force present, and according to Cheah, did not give sufficient reasons as to why the protest was being stopped.
TMI also quoted Cheah as saying that the cops had no right to stop the protest in accordance with the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.
“This is a form of abuse of power and public misfeasance because instead of facilitating the walk and ensuring the safety of the participants, they did the converse to frustrate the rights of citizens.
“The actions of the police have set a bad example for the citizenry, as it conveys the message that citizens are not free to exercise their constitutional rights even when they comply with the law.
“And that a law enforcement agency can and will act with impunity and unlawfully, just because they are in a position of power to do so. The Malaysian Bar cannot countenance this transgression from the police,” she reportedly said.
