PETALING JAYA: The police are continuing to beat up protesters despite the Malaysian Human Rights Commission’s (Suhakam) recommendations on standard operating procedures (SOP) on peaceful public demonstrations, its executive director, Yap Swee Seng, said today.
PETALING JAYA: The police are continuing to beat up protesters despite the Malaysian Human Rights Commission’s (Suhakam) recommendations on standard operating procedures (SOP) on peaceful public demonstrations, its executive director, Yap Swee Seng, said today.
Yap said the latest police violence against the Himpunan Hijau protesters at the Lynas plant in Kuantan on June 22 had once again highlighted their brutality.
“This incident again raises the question whether recommendations to the police by Suhakam on the SOP for public demonstration will ever be implemented,” Yap told reporters today.
Bersih 2.0 head Maria Chin Abdullah said the police seemed to have changed their SOP for the better in the anti-GST rally on May 1 but it was a different behaviour on June 22.
“Also, instead of charging the protesters under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 (PAA), the police are charging them under demonstration-related offences under the Penal Code,” said Yap.
The incident at the Lynas plant showed the ugly side of the Malaysian police force.
“The plainclothes police beat up handcuffed protesters using iron knuckles and even stood aside and watched when thugs descended upon the peaceful protesters which included a pregnant woman,” said Yap.
Sixteen protesters were arrested and taken to the Kuantan police headquarters and 15 of them are to be charged for offences under the Penal Code.
“We want a transparent framework of the SOPs and we call again for the implementation of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commissions (IPCMC),” said Maria Chin.