Student leader Safwan Anang leaves hospital, describes assault

Student leader Muhammad Safwan Anang, who was taken unconscious to hospital when police broke up a demonstration for academic freedom on New Year’s Eve in Tanjung Malim, was discharged earlier today, reports MalaysiaKini. He said he was beaten up while trying to help a friend being dragged off by the police.

Yesterday, Safwan had told another student activist and his lawyer that police had asked him to lie about his injuries by asking him to sign a form which read, in words to that effect, ‘Mangsa jatuh semasa kejadian (the victim fell during the incident)’.

His lawyer, N Surendran, said the form had been presented by a police photographer who took pictures of Safwan at Slim River hospital. Safwan had said he tore up the form but could not hold on to it and it was taken away. Assaulted student: Cop asked me to lie

Yesterday the Perak police chief had denied Internet accounts of police beating up students at the demonstration outside Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (formerly a teacher training college) in support of university autonomy and academic freedom and also in support of UPSI student Adam Adli who faces disciplinary action for briefly lowering an Umno party banner bearing the image of Umno president Najib Tun Razak.

The police chief said the injuries to two students were caused by their own stampede and not due to assaults by the police as had been claimed. CPO: Students injured themselves

Video by AntaraPos

Safwan said today he was punched once in the face and then “walloped” and kneed in the ribs by police in the fracas. » Student: I was beaten up while helping friend

Proud mum-in-law: He will fight on

His mother-in-law, Mariam Abdul Rashid, was full of praise for Safwan, a student at the University of Malaya and president of the BEBAS coalition for academic freedom. He married her daughter Masturah Abu Bakar a month ago.

“I am proud of his bravery. I am proud to have such a daughter and such a son-in-law, and I hope more varsity students will rise to defend (their rights),” she told MalaysiaKini. “He will continue to rise for the cause,” she said. » Mum-in-law proud of injured student

Initial reports on Sunday morning said Safwan was feared to have suffered broken ribs and to have lost some teeth. However hospital chest x-rays showed no fractures. Safwan said he would seek further treatment at another hospital and would make a police report about his injuries. 

- uppercaise