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PETALING JAYA: A lawyer said today that the rough treatment by the police of a former student leader of the University of Malaya who was recording them conducting a raid over the weekend was a “clear case of assault.”
Attorney SN Nair said that based on a video broadcast live by the student on Facebook, plainclothes officers were seen fighting with the student in an attempt to take his mobile phone from him.
“I would recommend that the student file a police report on the incident as it is evident from the Facebook Live video that a fight has occurred. This is a clear case of aggression against the man by the police, ”he told FMT.
Last Saturday, the former leader of the UM New Youth Association (Umany), Wong Yan Ke, 24, was arrested for “alleged obstruction of the functions of a public servant” after he registered the attempt of the Police to search the house of the current president of Umany, Robin Yap, and broadcast lives on Facebook.
Wong was standing on the porch of Yap’s home when a group of plainclothes policemen from the Kajang District Police Headquarters (IPD) arrived in an unmarked car. The police ordered him to stop recording, but he refused to do so.
This resulted in Wong being placed under arrest approximately two minutes after the video.
Agents were there to seize Yap’s electronic devices on Umany’s Facebook post titled “Yang di-Pertuan Agong should not intervene in national affairs.” He was being investigated for sedition and abuse of Internet services, police said.
Wong was released on police bail after being detained for 15 hours. He was interrogated under article 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing a public servant in the performance of his duties.
Nair echoed the Bar Association’s stance that Wong did not commit a crime by recording police in action.
Attorney V Parthipan agreed with Nair, saying that a video was only illegal if it was of an objectionable nature, such as pornography or a drug-related matter.
Parthipan said the people filming the police raids weren’t new, especially with local crime scene shows like 999 and Majalah Tiga broadcasting arrests on television.
