KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 — The move by the authorities to re-arrest and further detain a youth linked to the Papagomo Original online persona reeks of abuse of power, his lawyer claimed today as he remains in detention until Monday.
Michelle Yesudas, who is representing the 26-year-old, argued that it was an abuse of the remand process to re-arrest her client to extend his detention.
“We also argued that he has already been detained from Wednesday and has been released and rearrested again, that is unreasonable,” she told Malay Mail Online when contacted.
Michelle said her client was first arrested on Wednesday in connection to postings made on the Papagomo Original Facebook page — which has been accused of inciting racial sentiments related to the July 12 Low Yat Plaza racial riot.
He was released on Friday but rearrested the same day, this time over tweets by a user under the name of Papagomo Original.
Michelle stressed that both the Facebook and Twitter posts were made before her client’s first arrest, raising questions as to why the police did not simply investigate both at the same time.
“Also his parents’ hand phones and his have been confiscated. This is unusual and extreme and he will be unable to post in any way, he doesn’t have a laptop or personal computer,” she said.
Michelle said her client maintained that this is a case of “mistaken identity” and that the police have nabbed the wrong person.
“He also denies any links with Papagomo, he does not know Papagomo, he is not Papagomo,” she said.
Despite their arguments, Michelle said the magistrate issued a three-day remand order on her client, citing “public interest” and the need to give the police more time to conduct their probe.
Michelle noted that another youth in his 20s, who was also brought before the same magistrate today at the Dang Wangi police station remand court, has also been accused of being Papagomo Original and that the youth and her client have been accused of colluding to act as Papagomo Original on a shared Facebook account.
Her client, however denied knowing the other youth.
Michelle said her client was investigated under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act and Section 505 of the Penal Code during his first arrest, and is now being investigated under the same Section 4(1).
Last week, controversial blogger Papagomo or Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris was nabbed and remanded for three days for a probe under the Sedition Act and Section 505 of the Penal Code.
He was alleged to have spread false information of the recent bloody Low Yat Plaza brawl. While he was in police custody, a Facebook account with the name “Papagomo Original” posted inflammatory posts.
On July 16, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar debunked rumours on Papagomo Original’s Facebook account that a group of NGOs led by Papagomo will stage a mass rally outside Low Yat Plaza over the weekend, saying that the statements were likely posted by the blogger’s followers to rile up the public.
The “Papagomo Original” Facebook account — which Khalid has said is fake — does not show when it was created, with the earliest post shown on its timeline made on July 15 morning — after Wan Muhammad Azri’s arrest the previous night.
