by TMR / pic by HUSSEIN SHAHARUDDIN

THE police will call up to 29 individuals to give their statements to assist in the probe on the #Lawan protest organised over the weekend, IGP Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said.

“Police have started an investigation on the organisers and participants under the provisions of Act 342 and other relevant acts,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Acryl Sani added that the police are also looking for several individuals who have been identified by the authorities through videos and photos.

According to Acryl Sani, police have received over 20 reports on the protest, which he said violated standard operating procedures (SOPs) of the National Recovery Plan and the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2021.

“The attitude of the organisers and participants who were defiant and went on to hold the gathering despite being advised to prioritise health safety is irresponsible, especially in the pandemic,” he said.

Separately, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) called on the police to desist investigating and charging anyone who has participated peacefully.

“Suhakam reiterated that the rights of the people to gather peacefully has been guaranteed in Part II, Article 10 (1)(b) of the Federal Constitution which states that all citizens have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms,” it added.

Instead, the commission proposed for the authorities to emphasise on developing and strengthening the SOPs to enabling such gathering by mitigating the risk of Covid-19.

“We were encouraged by the observance of the organisers and participants in making every effort to comply with the pandemic SOPs in place,” Suhakam said in a statement.

It also believes that these measures could be further improved in the future.