Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat (SSR) has expressed its gratitude to the many Malaysians who helped contribute to the #Lawan legal aid fund to help pay the compound fines on 31 participants detained.
The participants were detained for gathering at Dataran Merdeka in the Kuala Lumpur city centre last Thursday in memory of the thousands of Malaysians who lost their lives due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We would like to thank fellow Malaysians who contributed to the fund.
"We are very touched by the support given, where we received a contribution of RM92,800 in a very short time of just one day," SSR said in a statement it released this morning.
"This contribution involved transactions by 668 people involving an average amount of RM139, and many also contributed a value of RM10 and RM20.
"This also shows that the #Lawan demand is supported by all levels of society in a joint effort to move the democratisation process in Malaysia and ensure the survival of ordinary people," the group added.
On Aug 19, 31 individuals, comprising 17 men and 14 women, were taken into custody at the Dang Wangi police station.
The detainees claimed that police ignored their demands to know whether they were under arrest, and instead dragged and lifted some of them into Black Marias to be taken to the station for “documentation purposes”.
They claimed that they were not informed about their rights, and were later slapped with compounds of RM2,000 each.
SSR said it would detail the expenditure to ensure transparency and honesty in handling the contributions entrusted by all Malaysians.
"A more detailed report of spending for the #Lawan rally and our other series of protests will be made public in the near future.
"The people's trust in the #Lawan movement will be embraced in every move we make," said SSR, which went on to announce that it hereby closes the #Lawan legal aid fund and compound campaign for now.
The SSR organised the protest in Kuala Lumpur on July 31, which attracted some 400 people, according to police estimates - although the organisers said more than 1,000 people had attended.
A second protest for Aug 21 was cancelled following the resignation of the then prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, but that did not stop the police from setting up some 88 roadblocks to control vehicle movement into the city centre, leading to heavy traffic congestion in Kuala Lumpur.
The move was further aggravated by the suspension of rail services, including LRT, MRT and monorail, into the city centre for “public safety” reasons.
Police were also seen putting up notices displaying the names of 33 individuals who it had identified as being involved with SSR and informing that they are not allowed to participate in the already cancelled protest. - Mkini
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