Ahmad's second arrest 'an abuse of court process'

Ahmad Abd Jalil, who was detained late on Friday night for allegedly insulting the Johor royalty in a Facebook posting, was released yesterday but later arrested under a different charge.

His lawyer Fadiah Nadwa Fitri said Ahmad's second arrest is a form of "intimidation and an abuse of the court process".

She said Ahmad was initially produced in the Johor Baru magistrate's court after a three-day remand under the Sedition Act for a post on the social networking site that had purportedly offended the sultan.

Ahmad (left) was arrested on the first occasion following three police reports being lodged against him in Johor.

Fadiah said Ahmad will be produced in court again today by the police who had applied to remand him further under the new charge under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Act.

She added that the police allegedly told the family that they have arrested Ahmad because they have engaged lawyers to deal with the case.

"This is really a form of intimidation and a breach of the federal constitution," she said.

"The right to legal representation is guaranteed under Article 5(3) of the constitution. Is this a police state that people are arrested for engaging lawyers?" she queried.

Yet to be told grounds for arrest

Meanwhile, Fadiah said the police's application to remand him further was rejected because it was unreasonable.

She added that the magistrate had also said that police act of bringing him to Johor was inappropriate, while no statement had been taken from him despite being locked-up in jail for three days.

"He is yet to be told the grounds of his arrest, for example, which is the offensive posting? His family is not allowed to visit him, nor are they told of his whereabouts or the name of the investigating officer," she stressed.

Fadiah Nadwa (left), who is a lawyer with human rights organisation Suaram, said Ahmad's family, who lives with him in Wangsa Maju, are veryworried about his safety and his whereabouts, especially if there were interference from the palace.

She added that a candlelight vigil is being organised at Dataran Merdeka tomorrow at 8.30pm, to demand for Ahmad's release.