KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — The High Court today ordered the government and police to pay RM195,000 in damages to 13 activists after finding their arrests during a candlelight vigil for Covid-19 victims in 2021 were unlawful.

Free Malaysia Today reported that Justice Datuk Anand Ponnudurai awarded each of the activists RM15,000 after holding the police officers involved and the government liable for the arrests made following the August 19, 2021 gathering at Dataran Merdeka.

The activists involved were Nur Qyira Izzat Yusri, Nalina Nair, M Thulsi Thivani, Loh Kar Mun, Noor Suhana Ishak, Dr Subatra Jayaraj, Tharmelinggem Pillai, P Ilaiya Barathi, Addy Samsudin, Dinesh Venkitesan, Khairi Zulfadhli Abu Bakar, Wong Yan Ke and Asraf Sharafi Azhar.

They had filed a suit against the police officers involved in the operation, the Home Ministry and the government, alleging that their constitutional rights had been breached and seeking damages.

In his judgment, Anand said the activists were effectively deprived of their freedom after police seized their identity cards at the scene and directed them to go to the Dang Wangi police headquarters despite the gathering having ended.

“They were told to go to the (Dang Wangi) police headquarters and some of them were ‘forced’ into police vehicles. They posed no threat after the gathering ended.

“While at the station, they could not leave until their statements were recorded,” he said.

The judge also found that the activists were denied access to their lawyers while they were being held at the police station.

“When the lawyers managed to enter the police station, some of their statements had already been taken, and these lawyers could only observe the recording process (for the remaining detainees),” he said.

Anand further ruled that police had acted without proper procedure by marking the activists’ arms with marker pen to identify them with their seized mobile phones.

“There was no SOP for the police to do that,” he said.

The candlelight vigil was held to remember those who died from Covid-19 during the pandemic.

Lawyers Kee Hui Yee and New Sin Yew represented the activists, while federal counsel Anis Najwa Nazari appeared for the police officers and the government.