A LAWYERS group today stepped up the pressure on police to act swiftly on death threats received by lawyer and activist Siti Kasim, a strong advocate for minorities and outspoken critic of religious extremism.

Lawyers for Liberty (LFL)’s Melissa Sasidaran said the authorities were not taking seriously threats and bullying behaviour against women, citing the lack of action in the past over similar threats to women activists like G25’s Noor Farida Mohd Ariffin, lawyer Ambiga Sreenevasan and Bersih 2.0’s Maria Chin. 

This time, Siti Kasim received online threats over her views on the rights of homosexuals and Islam. According to LFL, the threats include death, rape and acid attack.

“It is unacceptable and shocking that the authorities are not treating such threatening and bullying behaviour against women with the seriousness it deserves. 

“On the other hand, the authorities have been quick to act against social media comments that are critical or deemed offensive to the government or its interests. Such selective and double standard policies can only reflect badly upon the enforcement authorities PDRM and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC),” LFL said in a statement today.

Siti Kasim posted on her Facebook page yesterday that she had received threats online from a man who urged other Muslims to kill and injure her. 

“I am not revealing who this fella (is) yet as I am going to wait and see if the police are going to be as fast and swift in taking action like they usually do against personalities with well known names with much less threatening words,” Siti Kasim said in her post.

“These people are no different from ISIS mentality. They cannot accept that defending one’s right from being persecuted is a right and that one has the right to use one’s brain.

“I will not take any kind of threats lightly.”

She posted photos of her police report filed at the Sentul police station yesterday, but redacted the name of the alleged individual.

LFL said the authorities must immediately act against the person making such threats under the Penal Code sections 506 for criminal intimidation and 509 for words or gestures intended to insult the modesty of a person. 

Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 is also applicable as it prohibits the proper use of network facilities to abuse, harass or threaten any person can be correctly applied in such a case.

LFL said police’s failure to take such threats seriously would only encourage more violence against women. – July 24, 2017.