Drop the Charges Against Jannie Lasimbang - Respect the Right to Peaceful Assembly

Jannie Lasimbang has been charged in the Magistrate Court in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah on 21/10/2015 under Section 9(5) of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 - yet another blow against our fundamental rights to organize and participate in Peaceful Assemblies in Malaysia. {See also statement by BERSIH in Bahasa Malaysia below]

Malaysia enacted the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 - but this was a bad law that further eroded our right to peaceful assembly...

When say, the Israeli bomb and kill thousands of Palestinians and we in Malaysia want to express our protest.... which really should be done immediately - not 1 week later and certainly not more than 10 days later. Hence, the stupidity of having a law that says that  "ten days before the date of an assembly, notify the Officer in charge of the police District in which the assembly is to be held". Peaceful Assembly is usally a quick and urgent response..

Sec.  9  Notification of assembly [PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY ACT 2012]

(1) An organizer shall, ten days before the date of an assembly, notify the Officer in charge of the police District in which the assembly is to be held.

(2) Subsection (1) shall not apply to-

(a) an assembly which is to be held at a designated place of assembly; and
(b) any other assemblies as may be specified in the Third schedule.

(3) If the assembly is a religious assembly or a funeral procession, the organizer may inform the Officer in charge of the police District in which the assembly or procession is to be held; and may, if assistance is needed to maintain traffic or crowd control, request for such assistance.

(4) The notification under subsection (1) shall be given to the Officer in charge of the police District in which the assembly is to be held by A.R. registered post or courier or by hand.

(5) A person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding ten thousand ringgit.

 

Sabah’s ‘Iron Lady’ claims trial for Bersih rally

By:
Sandra Sokial

Bersih Sabah chairperson Jannie Lasimbang was charge under Section 9(5) of the Peaceful Assembly Act for failing to provide a 10-day notice for each of the two days the public gathering was held on Aug 29 and 30. — TRP file pic

KOTA KINABALU, Oct 21, 2015:

Bersih Sabah chairperson Jannie Lasimbang became the first activist charged in the Magistrate’s Court today for organising the controversial state-level illegal rally here two months back.

The 53-year-old, who is also dubbed as Sabah’s ‘Iron Lady’, pleaded not guilty to the two charges framed under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) 2012 before magistrate Cindy McJuce Balitus.

In the main charge under Section 9(5) of the Act, Lasimbang was accused of failing to provide a 10-day notice for each of the two days the public gathering was held on Aug 29 and 30.

She was also read an alternative charge under Section 15(3) of the Act for organising the event without fulfilling all instructions ordered by the Kota Kinabalu police chief Assistant Commissioner M. Chandra on both days.

If convicted under either charge, Lasimbang faces a maximum fine of RM10,000.

The case was prosecuted by deputy public prosecutor Chow Siang Kong, who asked for bail to be set at RM5,000, but Lasimbang’s counsel, Ram Singh, urged the court to set bail at RM500.

“My client’s family is in Sabah. She is a former Suhakam (Malaysian Human Rights Commission) commissioner and a true Sabahan. She is not likely to abscond,” he told the court.

Balitus ordered Lasimbang to post bail of RM3,000 with a deposit of RM1,000 for each charge, and set the date for case management on Nov 13, and trial on Nov 23 and 24.

The overnight rally from Aug 29 to 30 was held along Kota Kinabalu’s Likas bay esplanade and saw some 3,000 in attendance on the first day.

It ended two hours shy of its 24-hour target after a police barricade stopped some 500 rally participants from walking towards the city.

The Bersih 4 Kota Kinabalu (B4KK) were halfway to their targeted destination — the Kota Kinabalu City Hall building — to hand over a memorandum asking for their rights to hold a peaceful assembly in a public space.

Chandra had said numerous times that the rally was unlawful, issuing stern warnings that action would be taken against its organisers and participants for taking part in the illegal rally. - Rakyat Post, 21/10/2015

Sabah Bersih organiser to be charged for Merdeka Day rally

Tuesday October 20, 2015
06:15 PM GMT+8

Sabah Bersih rally organiser Jannie Lasimbang, is expected to be charged for failing to give sufficient notice to police. — File pic KOTA KINABALU, Oct 20 — The organiser of the recent Bersih rally in Sabah is expected to be charged tomorrow for allegedly breaching provisions under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) 2012.

A post on Bersih Sabah’s Facebook page today said that the movement’s state chairman, Jannie Lasimbang, is expected to be charged under Section 9(5) of the PAA for failing to give sufficient notice to the police before organising the rally.

Lasimbang, in confirming the case, said she was informed that she is the only person who attended the rally who will be charged.

City police chief assistant commissioner M. Chandra was previously reported as saying numerous times that the rally was unlawful and had warned action against its organisers as well as participants under Section 4(2)(c) of the same Act for organising and participating in a street protest.

The rally, along Kota Kinabalu’s Likas bay esplanade ended two hours shy of its 24-hour target after a police barricade stopped some 500 rally participants from walking towards the city on the eve of Merdeka Day.

They were roughly at the halfway mark of reaching their targeted destination of the Kota Kinabalu City Hall building to hand over a memorandum asking for their rights to hold a peaceful assembly in a public space.- Malay Mail, 21/10/2015

- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/sabah-bersih-organiser-to-be-charged-for-merdeka-day-rally#sthash.tGnbxhr7.dpuf

 

Bersih 4: Naib Pengerusi Bersih Sabah didakwa!

Bersih 2.0 October 21, 2015

Kenyataan Media – 21 Oktober 2015

Bersih 4: Naib Pengerusi Bersih Sabah didakwa!

Naib Pengerusi Gabungan Pilihanraya Bersih & Adil (BERSIH 2.0) Sabah, Jannie Lasimbang didakwa di bawah Seksyen 9(5) Akta Perhimpunan Aman di Mahkamah Majistret Kota Kinabalu Sabah, hari ini.

BERSIH 2.0 justeru menyatakan solidariti bersama Jannie dan mengutuk pendakwaan ke atas beliau atas alasan gagal mengemukakan notis 10 hari menurut Akta tersebut.

Jannie merupakan individu pertama yang didakwa di bawah Akta Perhimpunan Aman ekoran perhimpunan aman Bersih 4 yang turut berlangsung di Kota Kinabalu pada 29 dan 30 Ogos lalu.

Sebelum ini, Jannie sudah pun disoal siasat bersama sebahagian penganjur, sukarelawan dan pemidato sebaik sahaja acara di Kota Kinbabalu selesai.

BERSIH 2.0 menjangkakan bahawa ramai lagi akan turut didakwa di bawah Akta Perhimpunan Aman ekoran keputusan Mahkamah Rayuan awal bulan ini bahawa peruntukan Seksyen 9(5) Akta tersebut adalah tidak bersalahan dengan Perlembagaan.

Mahkamah bertingkah dengan penghakimannya sebelum ini dalam kes Nik Nazmi bahawa keperluan notis 10 hari menurut Akta tersebut adalah tidak berpatutan dan bercanggah dengan asas hak asasi yang digariskan Perlembagaan.

BERSIH 2.0 menyifatkan pendakwaan terpilih ke atas Jannie dan barangkali beberapa aktivis lagi adalah sebahagian daripada usaha untuk terus menakut-nakutkan orang ramai daripada menyatakan bantahan salah laku pihak berwajib.

BERSIH 2.0 turut melihat pendakwaan ini sebagai satu lagi serangan ke atas hak membantah, dan rakyat Malaysia yang telah menyatakan sokongan mereka terhadap hak membantah melalui perhimpunan Bersih 4 akan terus berjuang menegakkan hak membantah.

Meski Menteri Pelancongan, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz dalam satu kenyataan semalam menyebut bahawa negara membenarkan demonstrasi aman, apa yang jelas ialah walaupun wujud kebebasan untuk berhimpun, nampaknya seakan tiada kebebasan selepas berhimpun.

Dikeluarkan oleh,
Jawatankuasa Pemandu BERSIH 2.0, yang terdiri daripada –

Pengerusi: Maria Chin Abdullah; Timbalan Pengerusi: Sarajun Hoda Abdul Hassan; Bendahari: Masjaliza Hamzah; wakil kebangsaan: Prof Madya Dr Abdul Halim bin Yusof, Farhana binti Abdul Halim, Fadiah Nadwa Fikri dan New Sin Yew; naib pengerusi: Ahmad b. Awang Ali (Sarawak), Abd Halim b. Wan Ismail (Semenanjung Timur), Thomas Fann (Semenanjung Selatan), Simon Lee Ying Wai (Semenanjung Tengah) dan Dato’ Dr Toh Kin Woon (Semenanjung Utara).

Source: BERSIH Website