Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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(May 4): The 23 youths arrested for allegedly participating in the Workers Day rally on May 1 will only be released tomorrow after police obtained an additional day to remand them for investigations, Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) said.

The youths, who have been in the police lock-up since Friday night, were supposed to be released today at the end of a three-day remand order, but the legal rights group said police were abusing their powers by holding them an extra day.

LFL using the handle @lawyers4liberty posted on Twitter: "Update on the 23 rally goers: remand extended to one day, to be freed tomorrow".

Earlier, it tweeted: "Police just informed will apply for further remand re the 23 anti GST rally detainees at IPD Dang Wangi. Lawyer Chan Yen Hui attending."

It also said that the investigating officer had initially informed lawyers that the youths would be released today.

"The IO had given us very late notice and devious steps were taken to continue to detain the rally goers.

"This is part of the series of abuse of police powers that frm the start of the #MayDay rally."

“The arrests of rally goers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday are examples of ridiculous police abuse and it continues today," LFL said.

Lawyer Chan Yen Hui said the police applied for extended remand on the grounds of wanting to record the statements of the investigating officer, the arresting officer and also public witnesses.

She said police also told the magistrate they wanted to do an identification parade and re-take photographs of the 23 in the clothes they were wearing during the rally.

"Their photographs and fingerprints have already been taken but they want to take photographs of them in the clothes they were wearing when they were caught.

"I told the judge that all these are administrative and the youths need not be remanded for another day," Chan said, but the magistrate went ahead and granted the remand.

Magistrate Ashraf Rezal Abdul Manan granted a one-day remand instead of two days that the police requested.

Chan said the youths were doing fine, except that they were dehydrated and tired.

"And they are worried that they cannot go to work tomorrow."

The youths are being investigated under Section 143 of the Penal Code and Section 4 of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances Act.

During the rally, some youths dressed in black and who had their faces covered were seen setting off orange smoke bombs and spray-painting graffiti on signboards and metal hoardings in the city.

On Friday evening, 29 youths were arrested about two hours after the rally had ended after 5pm. While 26 of them were remanded, six who were minors aged 16 and 17, were released the following night after spending about 24 hours in the police lock-up.

Activists have decried the use of chain link handcuffs on the minors, while lawyers have said no officer from the Welfare Department was present for the minors while in the lock-up. – The Malaysian Insider

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