EIGHTY police investigations have been started into the various #Lawan protests between July 17 and August 20, human rights’ groups said.

The figure includes 28 people who were called up for questioning between August 2 and 8, said Thulsi Manogaran of the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) during an online press conference with other groups to launch the #Lawan Protest Monitoring Report today.

Thulsi added that the total figure also included investigations and arrests conducted before events were held, and called them a form of intimidation to silence criticism against the government.

They are also a violation of the freedom of expression and of assembly, she and other activists said.

They did not give a breakdown of the other investigations.

The summoning of the 28 individuals was announced by Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah on August 1, who said they had been identified and would be called in for their statements.

This was over the July 31 #Lawan protest held at Dataran Merdeka, which police deemed to be in violation of movement restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The protest, which drew over 2,000 participants who were mostly youths, according to organiser Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat (SSR), was held to demand the resignation of then prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, restoration of Parliament sittings, and loan moratorium to ease financial burdens caused by the pandemic.

Before that, a protest was also held at Dataran Merdeka on July 17 over the government’s handling of the pandemic, where youths carried black flags and displayed mock corpses representing the Covid-19 dead.

Another protest was held on July 24, in the form of a vehicle convoy in various states where participants attached black flags to their vehicles to protest the government.

Protestors returned to Dataran Merdeka again on August 19, where they held a candlelight vigil to commemorate the Covid-19 dead and denounce the government’s handling of the pandemic.

Police arrested 31 people over the vigil and compounded them RM2,000 each. Funds have been raised from the public to help them pay the fines.

Brian Yap of Amnesty International Malaysia at the online press conference today urged the government to drop all harassment, investigations and charges against the organisers and protesters immediately.

“The government should also cease all heavy-handed tactics and abuse of the legal system to harass and silence individuals exercising freedom of expression and assembly.

“These unnecessary arrests and detention of government critics will increase Covid-19 cases in police stations and lock-ups,” he said.

The different #Lawan events have been spearheaded by SSR, which is a coalition of youth activists from different civil society groups.

SSR has also said that Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob should prove his legitimacy in a transparent manner through a confidence vote in Parliament.

“We will not hesitate to take action if the new government fails to perform its responsibilities to keep us safe from the Covid-19 pandemic and any political instability,” SSR spokesperson, Ashraf Sharafi, said. – September 1, 2021.