Press Statement
Condition imposed by police on January 25 rally organisers are without basis in law & contrary to PAA 2012
20 January 2025
I refer to the anti-corruption rally to be held on 25 January 2025 which will commence at Sogo in Kuala Lumpur.
The organisers of the rally, Sekretariat Rakyat Benci Rasuah, had sent a notification to the police as required under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 on 15 January 2025.
I can now confirm that the Dang Wangi District police chief has responded by letter dated 17 January 2025 by which he has instructed the organisers to obtain the consent of the owner or occupier of the place of assembly.
This demand is purportedly made under Section 11 of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 (“PAA”), which the police have cited as a condition for the notice of assembly under Section 9 of the PAA.
We are surprised by this condition set by the police, which has no legal basis whatsoever. This rally is being conducted in a ‘public place’, as the police are fully aware from the notification sent to them. The rally is to commence outside Sogo in KL and proceed towards Dataran Merdeka. These are all public places which can be used by the public ‘as of right’, as stated in section 3 of the PAA 2012.
Why are the police then imposing unnecessary and irrelevant conditions? The purpose of the PAA 2012 is to facilitate public gatherings, and not to impede or obstruct it.
The Madani government, helmed by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, should be well aware of the importance of peaceful protests in a democratic society. The PM himself was the subject of and leader of many large public gatherings.
We thus urge the police and the government to facilitate the planned public assembly on January 25 as required by the right to assemble peacefully in Article 10(1)(b) of the Federal Constitution as well as the PAA 2012. Those who wish to gather have a right to do so; and no respectable democratic government should obstruct or stop a protest against corruption in the country.
Issued by:
ZAID MALEK
Legal Advisor
Sekretariat Rakyat Benci Rasuah
Director
Lawyers for Liberty