Malaysian Police acted violent,y towards Bar Council Legal Aid Centre volunteers

Detention of legal aid volunteers highlights need for increased awareness of rights

The Malaysian Bar is at a loss to understand the basis for the police’s action in detaining four Bar Council Legal Aid Centre (Kuala Lumpur) (BCLAC KL) volunteers yesterday while they were distributing pamphlets to educate the public on their rights when dealing with the police. The exercise was a public education initiative dubbed “‘Lawyers Approaching Community” (or “LAC”, which is also the acronym for the Bar Council’s Legal Aid Centres), and was geared towards publicising National Law Awareness Week, which begins nationwide today. The police harassed the volunteers, comprising a lawyer, a lawyer-to-be and two pupils in chambers, claiming that the Bar Council pamphlet, titled “Police and Your Basic Rights”, was “illegal” and “anti-police”. Ironically, both the pamphlet and the booklet that preceded it were launched by none other than YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri bin Abdul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and de facto Law Minister, at the Bar Council in February 2009 and April 2006, respectively. At the 2006 event, the Minister himself assisted in distributing the booklets to members of the public immediately after the launch. In 2009, in addition to expressing his support for the publication, he stated that citizens are entitled to their rights and the police must adhere to standard operating procedures. However, the police did not comply with such procedures in yesterday’s incident. Although they stated that the BCLAC KL volunteers were not under arrest, they refused to return the volunteers’ identity cards (which they had requested) and instead compelled the volunteers to follow them to the police station, where a police report was lodged against them. The Malaysian Bar calls on the police, and members of other law enforcement agencies, to move away from a “police state” mindset of intimidation and impunity, to the practice of respect for human rights. We also urge that more effective and holistic human rights education and practical training of law enforcement officials be conducted, with a view towards changing law enforcement attitudes and methods in relation to detention and arrest, and treatment of detained/arrested persons. Lim Chee Wee Vice-President Malaysian Bar 13/10/10