Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Traumatised by acid attack threat, Shakila may take a break from activism

 


Young environmental activist Shakila Zen has been traumatised by the anonymous letter threatening an acid attack against her, which was delivered to the home of her parents in a parcel two days ago, along with a replica of a bloody severed hand.

Now, Shakila (above) said, her family members have advised her against continuing her activism work due to her safety, which is a concern she shares.

“To be honest, I’m traumatised. Thinking that someone I don’t know can pass that parcel right to my parents’ house is so traumatising.

“My family asked me to tone down a bit and if possible, not to engage in anything involving NGOs and activism.

“I may take their advice in the meantime, but surely I will bounce back,” Shakila said to Malaysiakini today.

She said on Aug 30, an unknown man wearing a shirt bearing the logo of a courier company handed the parcel to her father at her parents’ house.

The person also took a picture of her father and asked him if Shakila was home, she added.

“But when the police and my other friends searched for the details, the parcel number did not exist,” she said.

Shakila also revealed that another man wearing a shirt bearing the logo of a ride-share company had come to her parents’ house last week as well, claiming to want to see her to pass some documents to her.

However, the man left without handing over any documents when Shakila’s father said she was busy working.

Activist Shakila taking part in a "Save Rainforests" gathering in Padang Merbok on July 18, 2019 

Shakila has since lodged police reports over this incident as well as another case, where she received an indecent text message containing her personal details on WhatsApp.

The police are currently investigating the case under Section 507 of the Penal Code, which deals with criminal intimidation by anonymous communication.

Shakila’s father was called to the Klang Utara district police headquarters as a witness today to assist in the investigations.

After receiving such threats, Shakila and her family have taken measures to safeguard her safety, including installing surveillance cameras at the house.

“I also bring pepper spray wherever I go and wear a full face shield and gloves to avoid (a potential) acid attack.

“I also have sought some legal advice from a lawyer,” Shakila said.

Malaysiakini reported earlier today that Shakila had received an acid attack threat and sexual harassment over the past two days.

She believes the threat and harassment were due to a video of her talking about the July 31 #Lawan rally, which had gone viral on TikTok. - Mkini

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.