KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 — Polls watchdog Bersih 2.0 has called on Malaysians to join its candlelight vigil which will be held every night until its chairman Maria Chin Abdullah is released from preventive detention under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).

The group said the vigil will be held at 8pm nightly at Dataran Merdeka, as part of its campaign to call for Maria’s release and abolition of Sosma.

"As part of our campaign, Bersih 2.0 calls on all Malaysians to join us in solidarity at 8pm every night at Dataran Merdeka until Maria is released,” the group’s steering committee said in a statement here.

"We need to send a strong collective message that Maria’s detention and inhumane treatment is an egregious breach of human rights and will not be accepted in a free and democratic society.”

Bersih 2.0 said the campaign will also include international lobbying, forums, and memorandums.

Maria was detained on Friday under Section 124C of the Penal Code that prohibits the attempt to commit activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy.

Her lawyer Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan was previously reported saying that the team will go through all means to secure Maria’s release, including filing for habeas corpus.

The group also announced that deputy chairman Shahrul Aman Mohd Saari has been appointed acting chairman in Maria’s absence.