POLICE should stop arresting social-media users to protect feelings, Lawyers for Liberty said, calling instead for education and awareness on cyberbullying.

The legal rights advocacy group said arresting social-media users for their posts was a “shameful and common practice of the previous government that should not continue today”.

LFL director Melissa Sasidaran said they viewed with concern several arrests recently over postings about race and religion, and alleged insults to the Agong and queen.

Last night, Parti Sosialis Malaysia activist Khalid Ismath was the latest to be arrested.

“The law should not be invoked merely to protect people’s feelings and sensitivities against social media as it is not only an abuse of power but also there would be no end to the number of such cases. 

“Instead, non-legal solutions, such as educating society on proper social-media boundaries and raising awareness about cyberbullying, would be more appropriate,” LFL said in a statement today.

The group also said comments should not be deemed criminal just because they touch on royalty and reiterated calls for the Sedition Act to be abolished.

LFL recognised that the freedom of speech, while protected under the federal constitution, was not absolute but reminded police that they should only act when “absolutely necessary… in a proportionate manner against social media posts which carry a real issue of incitement, public disorder or security”.

“The law should not be misused to prohibit such acts of expression as they do not cause any real harm that is normally prohibited by criminal law.”

Amnesty International Malaysia also slammed Khalid’s arrest, which was apparently done under the Sedition Act, according to news reports quoting PSM leader S. Arutchelvan.

AI Malaysia’s executive director K. Shamini Darshni said Pakatan Harapan repeatedly promised to abolish the Sedition Act and must be held accountable for still failing to do so.

“Once again, the repeated use and the wide nature of the Sedition Act signals a stagnation of the efforts to improve freedom of expression in the country.

“Along with the call for the Sedition Act’s full abolition, we are urging the government to drop all pending charges under this repressive law immediately and without condition,” she said in a statement.

Prior to Khalid’s arrest, four others were arrested on Wednesday over allegedly offensive social media posts about race and religion. There are also a few other police cases involving alleged online insults against the Agong and queen.

Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) also said the use of the Sedition Act against Khalid was an act of intimidation.

Furthermore, the arrest took place at 10.40pm, which smacked of a politics, its executive director, Sevan Doraisamy, said in a statement.

“The practice of night arrest for an alleged offence which is political in nature is nothing more than intimidation by the police. 

“Khalid Ismath’s track record of providing full cooperation with any police investigation makes it absurd for the investigating officer to detain him overnight.

“The police are often described to be overstretched and under-resourced, so why are they wasting personnel time and resources in such a manner?”

Suaram said police should not seek Khalid’s remand today and instead conduct a professional investigation “without resorting to intimidation tactics”.

The human rights group also reminded PH of its promise to repeal the Sedition Act, starting with a moratorium on the act.

“Regrettably, the Sedition Act 1948 continues to be applied in Malaysia with the police utilising it to intimidate Malaysians.” – September 14, 2019.