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ctivists from several local NGOs have urged the Malaysian government to release Malaysian activists from the Socialist Party of Malaysia who were arrested by their government for allegedly campaigning for communism.

The 30 activists from the Socialist Party of Malaysia were allegedly arrested and harassed by Malaysian police on June 28, amid an upcoming parliamentary election.

Around 25 activists gathered on Friday in front of the Malaysian Embassy on Jl. Rasuna Said in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

The groups were heard shouting “Malaysia anti-democracy!”

Mahendra Kusumawardhana, a spokesperson for the protest, told The Jakarta Post that they were demanding that the Malaysian government stop its assault on people’s freedom of expression and to release the activists immediately.

“We give them two days to release the activists,” he said. “Otherwise, we will have a bigger rally, with more organizations joining in.”

Mahendra said that fellow democracy activists in Australia, Thailand and the Philippines were also protesting at Malaysian government buildings in their respective countries.

Activists joining the rally were from several groups, including the Political Committee of The Poor (KPRM-PRD), Reorganize Committee — Working People Association (KPO-PRP), Political Union of the Poor (PPRM), Inter-Factory Labor Forum (FBLP) and Perempuan Mahardika.

Human rights group Amnesty International said in a release sent to the Post on Friday that the 30 detained activists from the Socialist Party were denied a review of their detention on Friday over accusations of “waging war against the king”.

The release said that since June 24, more than 100 activists had been arrested or questioned by police over their support for an electoral reform rally. The demonstration was scheduled for July 9, and organized by the Coalition for Fair and Free Elections, also known as Bersih 2.0 (meaning “clean”).

“The Malaysian authorities are muzzling calls for electoral reform by throwing peaceful protesters in jail,” said Amnesty International Asia Pacific deputy chief Donna Guest.

“We have not seen such a crackdown on political activists across Malaysia in many years.”

People have been arrested for as little as wearing yellow (the color of Bersih 2.0), are being held without charge, and face investigation for sedition and unlawful assembly.

The government has also threatened to invoke the draconian Internal Security Act, which allows
for indefinite detention without trial, it added.

The activists, including two children, were arrested en route to a Bersih 2.0 event in Penang on 25 June. “Malaysia is undermining its claim to be a moderate democracy through this campaign of repression,” Guest said.

Amnesty International is calling for Malaysia to immediately release all activists or charge them with a recognizably criminal offense, drop unfounded charges, and respect the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. (rpt)