Amnesty International Gesa Britain Jangan Bagi Hamparan Permaidani Merah Kepada Najib

Amnesty International mendesak Britain memberi tekanan ke atas Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak kerana menghalang Himpunan Bersih 2.0 pada Sabtu lalu, didakwa menyaksikan tindakan keras pihak berkuasa ke atas peserta perhimpunan.

Najib memulakan lawatan rasmi sulung ke Britain sejak menjadi perdana menteri hari ini.

Timbalan Pengarah Asia Pasifik Amnesty International Donna Guest berkata, selain menahan peserta perhimpunan pihak keselamatan turut melepaskan gas pemedih mata secara terus kepada perhimpunan dan dalam kawasan hospital sebagai usaha menggagalkan perarakan ke Stadium Merdeka.

Dalam kenyataannya, Guest berkata ramai peserta perhimpunan telah dikasari oleh pihak keselamatan.

“Terdapat rakaman video di YouTube menunjukkan anggota polis berpakaian preman menendang seorang peserta yang terbaring di atas jalan sementara polis yang berpakaian seragam hanya melihat.

“Pihak keselamatan juga menembak gas pemedih mata terhadap peserta perhimpunan termasuk Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yang telah tercedera dan Khalid Samad (Ahli Parlimen Shah Alam) yang turut mengalami kecederaan,” katanya.

Justeru kata Guest, kerajaan Britain pimpinan David Cameron harus campur tangan dengan menasihatkan pentadbiran Najib berhubung keganasan pihak keselamatan ke atas peserta Himpunan Bersih 2.0.

“Kerajaan Britain tidak harus memberi ganjaran terhadap keganasan ini dengan menghamparkan karpet merah untuk perdana menteri Malaysia.

“David Cameron harus memberitahu perdana menteri Malaysia bahawa ia adalah pencabulan ke atas peserta perhimpunan aman dan ia tidak boleh diterima,” katanya.

Selain itu, kata Guest, beliau juga berharap Vatican dapat memberi tekanan kepada Najib supaya menghormati hak asasi manusia ketika pemimpin nombor satu Malaysia itu melawat ke Rom minggu ini.

Selain itu, kata beliau, disebabkan tindakan pihak keselamatan seorang peserta Baharuddin Ahmad telah meninggal dunia selepas terhidu gas pemedih mata dan disahkan meninggal dunia di hospital.

“Kerajaan Perdana Menteri Najib telah bertindak ke atas ribuan rakyat Malaysia yang mempunyai hak untuk berkumpul secarta aman.

“Keganasan yang dilakukan pihak berkuasa bertentangan dengan hak asasi manusia dan ia tidak boled dibiarkan. Mana-mana perhimpunan selepas ini patut dibenarkan dan pihak berkuasa harus menghormatinya,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan.

Justeru tegas Guest, pihaknya menuntut pentadbiran Najib menyiasat kegagalan pihak keselamatan memberi bantuan segera kepada Baharuddin sebelum dia menemui meninggal dunia.

“Ia termasuk dakwaan mengatakan ambulans tiba di tempat kejadian satu setengah jam selepas Baharuddin jatuh pengsan,” katanya.

Lebih 1,600 peserta termasuk pimpinan Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih) dan Pakatan Rakyat ditahan.

Bagaimanapun kesemua peserta yang ditahan dilepaskan dengan jaminan polis dan Peguam Negara akan menentukan tindakan ke atas mereka.

“Penggunaan keganasan oleh pihak keselamatan secara berlebihan ini sepatutnya tidak perlu kerana ia akan menakutkan rakyat,” kata Guest lagi.

Bagaimanapun Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein menafikan pihak keselamatan bertindak ganas sewaktu perhimpunan itu.

Ekoran keganasan pihak keselamatan, banyak pihak termasuk pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) dan Pakatan Rakyat kesal dengan tindakan itu.

Hari ini, Dewan Pemuda PAS pusat akan membuat satu laporan rasmi kepada Suhakam berhubung tindakan keras pihak berkuasa semasa menangani peserta Himpunan Bersih 2.0.

Ketuanya, Nasrudin Hasan berkata, pihaknya mempunyai banyak bukti berhubung kekerasan yang digunakan pihak keselamatan semasa perhimpunan itu. -TMI

MALAYSIA: POLICE USE BRUTAL TACTICS AGAINST PEACEFUL PROTESTERS


Police arrested peaceful demonstrators and teargassed a hospital compound
© Mohd Fazrul Hasnor / Demotix

11 July 2011
The UK government must press Malaysia’s Prime Minister on freedom of assembly in his visit this week, Amnesty International said today, after peaceful protesters in Kuala Lumpur were met with police violence and 1,667 arrests at the weekend.

Police arrested peaceful demonstrators, fired teargas canisters directly at protesters, and teargassed a hospital compound on 9 July, in attempts to stop the electoral reform rally known as Bersih 2.0 from gathering in a stadium.

One protester, 56-year-old Baharuddin Ahmad, collapsed near the landmark Petronas Towers while fleeing teargas, and was pronounced dead later in hospital.

“Prime Minister Najib’s government rode roughshod over thousands of Malaysians exercising their right to peaceful protest,” said Donna Guest, deputy Asia-Pacific director at Amnesty International.

“This violent repression by the Royal Malaysian Police flies in the face of international human rights standards, and cannot be allowed to continue. Any future peaceful demonstrations should be permitted and respected by the authorities.”

Amnesty International is calling on the Malaysian authorities to investigate claims that police failed to provide prompt assistance to Baharuddin Ahmad before his death, including reports that an ambulance arrived only an hour and a half after he collapsed.

Many protesters were beaten by police and officers of the Federal Reserve Unit, a special force used to suppress mass public assembly. One of the numerous Youtube videos of police violence shows plainclothes officers kicking a protester lying on the ground, while uniformed police stand by.

Police also fired tear gas canisters directly at protesters, including members of the parliamentary opposition. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was injured after a canister was fired in his direction, and Khalid Samad, a Pan-Islamic Islamic Party (PAS) member of parliament, was injured after being hit in the neck by a canister.

Tear gas was also fired at a hospital where protesters had retreated, putting the health of patients at risk, although this was denied by the Malaysian police.

“The British government shouldn’t reward this brutality by rolling out a red carpet for Malaysia’s prime minister,” said Donna Guest. “David Cameron should tell Prime Minister Najib that these human rights violations against peaceful reform protesters are unacceptable.”

Amnesty International is also calling on the Vatican to press Najib to respect human rights when the Malaysian leader visits Rome later this week.
All protesters arrested during the rally have now been released without charge. According to local sources, many of those released bore injuries sustained during arrest.

“The use of force by police at this rally was excessive, unnecessary and designed to instil fear,” said Donna Guest.

Around 40 people arrested in the run-up to the rally still face prosecution. Most have been charged under Section 49 of the Societies Act for possession of illegal materials, including Bersih T-shirts.

Six members of the Socialist Party (PSM) have been indefinitely detained without charge under an Emergency Ordinance since 2 July. One of them, member of parliament Dr Jeyakumar Kumar, was hospitalized 10 July for a heart condition following days of prolonged interrogations. -amnesty