Suhakam condemns police action against Siti Kasim as harassment, abuse of power

PETALING JAYA: The police action against lawyer and activist Siti Kasim appears to be targeted harassment and abuse of power.
Condemning her recent arrest and detention, Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) said it is an "unacceptable and unjustifiable" action by the police, which has also violated the United Nations human rights principles.
Suhakam chairman Tan Sri Razali Ismail said there was no adequate and reasonable investigation into the factual circumstances of the case, in which she was arrested for allegedly kidnapping her client and obstructing the police from carrying out their duties.
"Despite the government's institutional reform pledges, including on police standard operating procedures, Suhakam regrets that arrests are still made before a completed police investigation, which can lead to over-zealousness of the police officers making the arrest, resulting in a violation of the rights of the detainee as evident in this case.
"The police must stop what appears to be targeted police harassment of Siti Kasim as there was no justification or necessity to arrest and detain her for performing her duty as a lawyer in defence of her client," he said in a statement today.
Razali said the police have not respected the UN Basic Principles of the Role of Lawyers and Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
"Given the setting up of the government's Institutional Reform Committee to improve, rebuild and restructure among others the police, the actions of the police make this incident more alarming and a serious obstacle to the national agenda to improve the performance of the police.
"Suhakam underscores that the problem of police abuse has not been comprehensively addressed by the government over the years," he said.
Razali also expressed concern that the rights of Siti Kasim's client, an adult, were not fully taken into account and is shocked that the Selangor Religious Affairs Department (JAIS) was able to influence the police without the police sufficiently determining the facts beforehand.
"(This) can lead to a situation where people will be apprehensive that there is religious policing in the country," he said.
Suhakam also cautioned the public against lodging false police reports which is an offence under Section 182 of the Penal Code, which penalises anyone who creates or spreads false information, with intent to cause a public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person.