POLICE today arrested political youth leader Shazni Munir in Kuala Lumpur, believed to be over Shazni’s act of protest at the Election Commission (EC) headquarters in Putrajaya last month.

The Amanah deputy youth chief has been detained under Section 341 of the Penal Code for wrongful restraint, said lawyer Faiz Fadzil, adding that Shazni would be brought to Putrajaya for questioning.

“The police have informed us that Shazni is arrested under Section 341 of the Penal Code, we believe to be over the protest at the EC on May 23,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

He said Shazni will be aided by the Amanah legal division.

“The legal team from Amanah will be going to Putrajaya to assist Shazni,” he said.

On May 23, the Pakatan Harapan Youth leader locked the EC office’s front gate in protest after being barred from handing over a memorandum to EC chairman Hashim Abdullah.

Shazni had wished to present a memorandum urging the independent body to allow copies of the supplementary electoral roll (RDPT) to be distributed to political parties.

Faiz said police chose to arrest Shazni when they could have questioned him at Amanah headquarters.

Faiz said Shazni should also not have been arrested in the first place for protesting against the EC, who by restricting the distribution of the RDPT to the opposition, shows it  “has no respect for the law and the Federal Constitution”.

Kuala Lumpur CID chief Assistant Commissioner Rusdi Mohd Isa confirmed that Shazni was arrested by Putrajaya police to facilitate investigation.

On April 26, EC secretary Abdul Ghani Salleh ordered all state election directors to stop distribution of RDPT to political parties.

According to Regulation 13 of Election Regulations (Electoral Roll) 2002, the RDPT has to be displayed for public viewing at suitable venues for 14 days.

Ghani said such a display would suffice for concerned parties to check the voters’ names and addresses. – June 9, 2017.