In a surprising move, PKR vice-president Tian Chua has withdrawn his appeal in the charge brought against him for refusing to comply with a police order to leave the restricted Police Training Centre (Pulapol) in 2012.

This happened in his final appeal in front of a three-member bench led by Justice Mohtarudin Baki.

He discharged his counsel N Surendran, and personally addressed the appellate court by reading out a strongly-worded speech.

In the speech, he described his conviction by Session Courts as absurd, as he was charged with trespassing into a place that he had been brought to by force after participating in the Bersih 3 rally in 2012.

“My lords, in my opinion, it is an absurdity to penalise me for my being in the compound of Pulapol, in a situation which I was brought in by force and against my will.

"My participation in Bersih had been part of a very long journey of the struggle for a fairer and better Malaysia.

"If the price for changing this repressive and corrupt system is to go to prison, I shall say I am more than ready to accept," he said from the dock.

He said his acceptance of the jail sentence was not an admission of guilt.

The court was supposed to hear the submission by both parties today, but accepted his withdrawal, and maintained the one-month jail sentence effective today.

Tian Chua was seen smiling as the judge delivered his sentence. 

The other judges present were Zakaria Sam and Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil.

Also in court was Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurulhuda Nuraini Mohd Nor and lawyer Latheefa Koya. 

In January 2014, Chua was convicted in the Sessions Court under the Protected Areas and Places Act 1959 for refusing an order to leave the Pulapol complex along Jalan Semarak on April 29, 2012, a day after being arrested during the Bersih 3 rally in Kuala Lumpur.

He was sentenced to a one-month jail term and fined RM1,000. He paid the fine.

His appeal to the High Court was dismissed in November last year.

PKR leaders, members, and supporters conveyed best wishes and shook hands with him before he was taken to the Kajang Prison.

Those present were PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, PKR Wanita chief Zuraida Kamaruddin, Selangor exco member Elizabeth Wong, Penang exco member Afif Bahardin, PKR Tumpat MP Kamaruddin Jaafar and Rawang state assemblyperson Gan Pei Nie.

Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah was also seen bidding Chua goodbye.

Also present in court were National Human Rights Society (Hakam) president Ambiga Sreenevasan, Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) director Cynthia Gabriel.

When met outside the courtroom during a stand down of the court, Chua said," I will come out soon".

"I choose to withdraw (my appeal) to convey the message that Malaysians should not be fearful to go to prison. Going to prison is part of the struggle. If that's the price to pay, we have to pay.

"I call on Malaysians to support this struggle and continue the fight for justice, nothing to be afraid of when we are on the side of the truth," he added.

An MP fined more than RM2,000 or sentenced to more than a year's prison term, would lose his seat in the Dewan Rakyat and will be barred from contesting for a seat for the following five years. 

According to Latheefa, Chua will not be disqualified as a lawmaker for a one-month sentence.

She said: "This is the first of its kind, where a sitting MP is being jailed for such an offence," she said.

Batu MP's address to the Court of Appeal