KUALA LUMPUR: Activist Ali Abd Jalil was rearrested by police yesterday to facilitate sedition investigations shortly after posting bail at the Shah Alam court complex.

Police did not specify the reason for Ali’s rearrest other than to say he was being sent to Johor to facilitate investigations.

Ali’s lawyer, New Sin Yew, said there was no need for police to rearrest his client, who had posted RM8,000 bail, if it was for sedition investigations.

“If he is being accused of posting seditious messages on Facebook, I do not know why he is being taken to Johor.

“He is based here. It is a form of harassment,” New said outside the courtroom.

Ali arrived at the courthouse at 3pm yesterday where, accompanied by New and the police, he posted bail.

However, immediately after paying the RM8,000 bail, New told reporters that his client had been rearrested and was being sent to Johor.

“Police have not specified why Ali was being sent to Johor when his Facebook comments had been posted in Kuala Lumpur,” New said.

As he was leaving the court complex, Ali spoke with about 20 activists and supporters who had gathered outside the main entrance.

“The people must rise up; the people are the kings,” Ali said to cheers and applause.

Earlier yesterday, The Malaysian Insider reported that Ali, who had been held at the Sungai Buloh prison on remand after being charged with sedition, had alleged that he had been assaulted by a prison official.

The incident reportedly occurred on the first night of his detention on Sept 8.

The Malaysian Insider has been made to understand that a police report was lodged by Ali’s elder brother at the Taman Tun Dr Ismail police station on Saturday.

Ali had earlier informed his family about the beatings when they visited him at the Sungai Buloh prison.

He claimed that he was beaten by a prison officer who spoke with an East Coast accent.

The officer allegedly punched, slapped and hit Ali using a baton and rubber pipe in an empty room.

Ali, however, said the beatings did not leave any marks or injuries on his body.

He was also not able to tell anyone of the beatings as he was not allowed to meet anyone before last Friday when he met New.

Ali, who was charged with sedition on Sept 8 over his Facebook postings in January, said another warden had threatened to get the other prisoners to beat him up as well.

Ali, who is with the Anything But Umno (ABU) movement, is accused of posting seditious remarks on a Facebook page called ‘Kapitalis Bangsat’ through three separate comments, allegedly belittling the Johor sultanate and calling for it to be abolished. — by Lee Shi-ian/The Malaysian Insider


This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on September 24, 2014.