Activist remanded for Twitter 'threat' to IGP
The crackdown continues as police pick up PKR-linked NGO Jingga13 secretariat member Irwan Yahya at his home in Banting, at 11.40pm Tuesday.
The crackdown continues as police pick up PKR-linked NGO Jingga13 secretariat member Irwan Yahya at his home in Banting, at 11.40pm Tuesday.
More than a hundred activists and opposition elected representatives have been arrested in the month of March alone.
Jingga 13 coordinator Fariz Musa said he is held at the Dang Wangi police district headquarters after police secured a two-day remand order under Sections 505(b) and 506 of the Penal Code.
Sections deal with publishing of statements meant to cause fear or alarm of the public to induce someone to commit an offence against public peace.
"He is accused of threatening the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) on Twitter," Fariz told Malaysiakini.
"This desperado move by the IGP by using his enforcment powers shows he is in fact afraid of facing the rakyat and so tries to curb freedom of speech through undemocratic and unprofessional ways," he added in a statement later.
Biarkn @KBAB51 mnahan klau blh smua leader senior PR..agr mdh bg kmi mgjar igp mgikut cra org mda tpa skatan senior2 PR..igp..bersedialah..
— Iwan Jbecks (@irwanyahya) March 28, 2015
Irwan (in stripes in photo) had last Saturday tweeted: "Biarkan @KBAB51 menahan kalau boleh semua leader senior Pakatan Rakyat, agar mudah bagi kami mengajar IGP mgikut cara orang muda tanpa sekatan senior-senior Pakatan. IGP, bersedialah."
(Let @KBAB51 arrest all the senior Pakatan Rakyat leaders. It would be easier for us to teach the IGP youths do it without controls by Pakatan seniors. IGP, be ready.)
@KBAB51 is Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar’s Twitter handle.
Khalid replied that police are "just performing its duties to preserve peace and harmony".
"It’s not nice to threaten me," Khalid said, referring to Irwan as " adik " (little brother).
Adik @irwanyahya , @PDRMsia cuma jlnkan Amanah kami demi ketenteraman dan kesejahteraan Rakyat. Mengugut saya tidak manis.
— Khalid Abu Bakar (@KBAB51) March 29, 2015
Irwan’s tweet first caught public attention when Malay-language daily Sinar Harian featured it in an article last Saturday headlined ‘ Ada yang cuba ajar ketua polis negara di Twitter’ (Some on Twitter try to teach IGP a lesson).
Among Pakatan leaders arrested in the last two months include:
- Fariz , who is also PKR supreme council member;
