Activist refuses to surrender phone, walks off from Bukit Aman

 

A human rights activist walked off from Bukit Aman this afternoon after refusing to surrender his handphone to the police for investigation.

Global Human Rights Foundation president S Shashi Kumar went to the police headquarters at 11am to give his statement over a video on TikTok, where he questioned Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's act of presiding over a religious conversion ceremony at a mosque.

However, when he arrived at Bukit Aman's entrance, Shashi (above) said, he was shocked that an inspector from the Classified Investigation Unit wanted to confiscate his phone.

"I asked why he wanted to take my phone, and the inspector said it was their procedure. When I asked how long the phone is needed, the officer told me that it might take a month.

"So I said no, because I have personal documents, photos of my family and so on in this phone. I also use it for work.

"If the police want the video that I uploaded to TikTok, I can just give them the video," he told Malaysiakini.

Shashi said he received a call from the investigating officer yesterday, where the police asked him to appear at Bukit Aman to give a statement over the video.

However, the activist claimed the police did not mention then that he had to surrender his phone for investigation purposes.

Personal privacy

Describing the demand for his phone as an invasion of privacy, Shashi said he then turned around and left Bukit Aman.

He planned to clear the device first before meeting the investigator again to give a statement.

"After I have transferred (all the data in the phone), I will give them what they need. If you want that particular video, I can give you that video, you can't touch other things.

"You can't invade personal privacy," Shashi said.

The activist told Malaysiakini that the investigating officer had asked if he could present himself at the police headquarters tonight.

However, he said he might only be able to do so by tomorrow.

According to him, the case was being investigated under Section 504 of the Penal Code. The law stipulates offences related to "intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace".

Shashi was the second activist police had summoned over criticisms against Anwar for presiding over the religious conversion ceremony at a mosque in Klang last Friday.

Yesterday, police called in activist Arun Dorasamy for his statement regarding another video on the issue. - Mkini