KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 — PKR member Fariz Musa has been arrested shortly for sedition after demonstrators who took part in the #KitaLawan rally in the city here dispersed peaceably, his party said this evening.
The activist is now understood to be at the police contingent headquarters in the city but will be taken to the district police headquarters at Dang Wangi for questioning, the federal opposition party added.
“Sy ditangkap 2 kes : Seksyen 4(1)(c) Akta Hasutan dan 143 Kanun Keseksaan,” Fariz posted on his Twitter account @farizmusa later.
[Translation: I’ve been arrested over two cases: Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act and 143 of the Penal Code.]
Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act deals with individuals who publish seditious publications, among other things, and carries a maximum fine of RM5,000, a maximum three-year jail term or both if found guilty.
Section 143 of the Penal Code prescribes the penalty for being a member of an unlawful assembly, subjecting those convicted to a jail term of up to six months, or a fine, or both.
The PKR managing secretary and Jingga 13 coordinator is the latest opposition linked figure to be held by the police in an ever widening dragnet over the #KitaLawan rally called to pressure for the release of jailed Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
This is not the first time Fariz is being investigated for sedition nor arrested over the #KitaLawan rally.
He was taken into police custody on March 10 for his participation in the March 7 giant rally that saw thousands swamp the city centre.
Two of the party’s three vice-presidents, Rafizi Ramli and Chua Tian Chang have also been taken into police custody, as was PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, who was picked up from Penang after midnight and sent to Bukit Aman early this morning.
Human rights lawyers have criticised the police for the arrests, calling the action a preemptive strike to prevent the rally from taking place.
Sedition probes have also been initiated against political cartoonist Zunar, Penang state executive councillor Dr Afif Bahardin, Parti Sosialis Malaysia secretary-general S. Arutchelvan, civil liberties lawyer Eric Paulsen and Michelle Yesudas.
