KUALA LUMPUR - The police were "emotional" and "manhandled" a female journalist despite her being identified as a media personnel at the Bersih 3.0 rally, the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) inquiry panel was told today.
Panel chairman Prof Datuk Dr Khaw Lake Tee said it was "very visible" that Merdeka Review assistant editor Chen Shaua Fui was a media personnel, when the latter testified that she had held a camera and shown her media tag to a policeman.
"I identified myself as a journalist, (when) he (the police) said don't take pictures. 'I am a reporter', I said and showed him my media tag.
"But the policeman pointed his finger at me, and said that I should stop taking pictures," said Chen, who was doing real time reporting at Jalan Tun Perak around 7.30pm on the day of the rally.
She said she was taking pictures of over 10 policemen arresting people and beating up a man, who was having his meal at a hawker stall at the intersection of Jalan Hang Lekiu and Jalan Tun Perak on April 28.
Chen said that initially when she was intimidated by the police, she did put her camera away and was about to leave.
However, she felt that she was "compelled" to stay and continue her "duty" when the policemen shouted for more personnel to come and arrest the people.
"I was afraid there was going to be more human rights violations. So I continued taking pictures," Chen said.
At the same location, she witnessed from across the road, the man, who was earlier beaten up by police, being dragged out of the stall.
"They were slapping and beating that man, whose back was facing the road. I was trying to take a picture of the incident, but the vision was blur," Chen said.
She said police personnel also instructed several men, wearing yellow t-shirts to "take off" the t-shirts.
Chen said it was then that four policemen approached and manhandled her.
"One policeman held my left wrist; one held my right wrist; another pulled my backpack, while another policeman stood in front of me looking at my media tag, which was around my neck.
"He pulled off my tag and threw it away," she said.
Chen recalled that when she asked if she was being arrested, none of them answered her.
"I cannot remember everything he (the police) said, but I remember him saying "one policeman has died"," she said.
Chen explained that the policemen looked "fierce" and were "emotional" when they mentioned that a policeman had died.
She said she had somehow managed to struggle away from the police, but was not sure if it was because they planned to release her, since they did not chase after her.
"When I managed to struggle away from the police, I quickly picked up my media tag and moved away from that location," Chen said.
She added that she was frustrated and frightened as she didn't know which direction to take, when the policeman warned her that he would arrest her, if he saw her again.
When the panel asked why she was frightened since she was carrying out her duty as a journalist, Chen said: "It was quite scary because I thought the media tag would be my 'shield', but after that incident, I know that there is no 'shield' for media personnel."
Chen said the incident shattered her belief but did not break her spirit.
"We the (media) always believed that we are there to carry out our duty, not to provoke anyone. So why were we treated that way?
"If there was any crime, looking fearful would have been it," she said, to which Khaw added: "If fear was a crime, you would have been a criminal."
The inquiry continues tomorrow
-thesundaily
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.