PKR veep freed over illegal assembly charge

Sessions Court finds Shamsul Iskandar not guilty over charge of illegal assembly at a mosque during the Blackout 505 rally in 2013.

PKR MP Shamsul Iskandar (left) and his lawyer, Haijan Omar, outside the Sessions Court. His acquittal means he can keep his Hang Tuah Jaya parliamentary seat.

KUALA LUMPUR: Newly-elected Hang Tuah Jaya MP Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin was acquitted by the Sessions Court today over a charge of illegal assembly at a mosque five years ago.

Judge Zainal Abidin Kamaruddin, in his brief oral judgment, said the defence had raised reasonable doubt over the prosecution’s case.

With this decision, the PKR vice-president can keep his parliamentary seat which he won for the second term in last week’s general election.

Shamsul and five other activists were accused of participating in a gathering at the compound of Masjid Ar-Rahman, Universiti Malaya, here in 2013.

Under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA), individuals are not allowed to gather within the compound of places of worship.

The gathering was one of the Blackout 505 rallies held following the outcome of the general election on May 5, 2013.

Last month, the five activists — Safwan Anang, Ekhsan Bukharee Badarul Hisham, Adam Adli, Bukhari Sufian and Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin — were freed over the same charge. -FMT