KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said that 624 people were arrested under Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) 2012 last year.
In a parliamentary reply today, Saifuddin revealed that 195 offenders are currently on trial, with 147 charged under criminal conspiracy, 47 for human trafficking, and two for terrorism.
“For the year 2022, the Royal Malaysian Police have arrested a total of 624 people under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma). Of these, 71 arrested have been charged in court, 401 have been sentenced, 140 have been released and 12 are still under investigation.
“The ethnic breakdown consists of 247 Malays, 83 Chinese, 89 Indians, 47 Other Races and 158 foreign nationals, all aged between 18 to 69 years old,” he said.
Saifuddin Nasution was responding to Sosma questions posed by Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Tasek Gelugor MP Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan and DAP’s Raub MP Chow Yu Hui.
Apart from Sosma, the minister also revealed that 132 people were arrested under the Prevention of Crime Act 1959 (POCA).
Previously, it was reported that the new government is willing to sit down with various stakeholders to review laws that have the potential to be abused for political purposes.
