MALAYSIA: Roslan Kassim and Mohd Ezam and other opposition leaders arrested

UA 20/00: Freedom of expression denied

MALAYSIA: Roslan Kassim and Mohd Ezam and other opposition leaders arrested

The Malaysian authorities arrested this morning Roslan Kassim from Keadilan. Roslan has been remanded for seven days. Keadilan politicians, Youth chief Mohd Ezam and exco member Gopalakrishnan have been detained. Police are believed to be looking for other keadilan leaders including

Vice-President Mr. Tian Chua. The arrested persons are involved in the preparations for tomorrow’s gathering to mark the first anniversary of Anwar’s conviction on 14 April 1999.

The Asian Human Rights Commissions believes that the right to assemble peacefully is a universal right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other United Nations treaties. By arresting the keadilan officials, the Malaysian government is trying to stifle dissent and crush any opposing views.

Asian Human Rights Commission strongly condemns the above arrests of individuals related to opposition political parties. Malaysian promoting democracy and human rights deserve support and solidarity of the international community at this difficult moment.

 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

9 April 2000 The police disrupt Party Keadilan Nasional¡¯s [Keadilan] first Anniversary celebration held at their own premises in Desa Melawati, Gombak, Malaysia. As a registered political party, Keadilan has the right to hold a gathering to mark its anniversary. The police rejected Keadilan’s application for a permit and resorted to use force to break up the gathering which included many children and senior citizens.

11 April 2000 Police summoned opposition leaders Azizah Ismail and other to interrogated them about a gathering they organized on 9 April to celebrate the first anniversary of Anwar’s National Justice Party (keadilan).

The police have refused to grant a permit for Party Keadilan Nasional to hold a peaceful gathering on Saturday, April 15, 2000 in Kuala Lumpur to mark the imprisonment of the former Deputy Prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The Police have issued warnings to the public, and threatening to arrest the leaders of Keadilan. The Kuala Lumpur police chief Kamarudin Mohamad Ali warned the citizens against taking part in the gathering.

Last November Keadilan won five parliamentary seats in the general election, and the party helped the Barisan Alternatif (Alternative Front) to boost the opposition’s tally of seats to 45 in the 193-seat Parliament.

15 April 2000 gathering is plan to be staged at the National Mosque. In September 1998 that was where Anwar spoke to a 30,000-strong crowd hours before his arrest. From the mosque those gathered will march to theNational Palace to hand over a \”People’s Memorandum\” to the King. The memorandum calls on the King, as head of Islamic affairs, to reprimand Mahathir for \”discrediting the religion and splitting the community\”. The memorandum also calls for more severe punishment for former police chief Abdul Rahim Noor, whose blows on Anwar in a police cell in September 1998 were deemed potentially fatal. Rahim was sentenced to two months in jail by a Kuala Lumpur court and is out on bail pending appeal.

AHRC urge all individuals, groups and UN agencies to act urgently on this emerging situation in Malaysia. AHRC appeal to all individuals, groups to write to Malaysian authorities condemning the above detentions and especially appeal to United Nations agencies and particularly UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson to intervene with the Malaysian authorities with regards to the recent detentions.

 

RECOMMEDED ACTION

Please write letters. faxes and emails to the addresses are written below the following sample letter, which you may use as a guide. Calls for the immediate release of all those arrested in connection with April 15 planned gathering.

 

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