Online petition hits 40,000 signatures target
Published on: Thursday, November 24, 2016
PETALING JAYA: An online petition opposing the use of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) against Bersih 2.0 chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah has reached its target of 40,000 signatures.The "#MansuhSOSMA and #BebasMaria" petition on ipetition.com demands the unconditional release of Maria and the repeal of Sosma."When tabling the Bill in Parliament in 2011, the government assured and promised Malaysians repeatedly that Sosma will not be used on the basis of differences in political ideology, but it is evident today that the administration led by Prime Minister Najib Razak is reneging on its promise.ADVERTISEMENT "In our view, this is a clear abuse of legislative and executive powers," read the petition.Several people voiced their support for Maria and called for her release in the comment section of the petition."Please release her. She is not a terrorist. She is just trying to save her country. Please don't abuse your powers on helpless people. Have some conscience please," said Carol who commented on the petition."Sosma is meant for terrorists, not democracy campaigners," commented Malek Ali.ADVERTISEMENT Sherlene Qua said that Bersih 2.0 is asking for clean governance and clean elections, free from corruption."Maria was leading Bersih with these in mind, should she be caught under terrorism when she is merely fighting for a cause," Qua wrote.
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Maria was detained on Friday under Section 124C of the Penal Code for the offence of attempting to commit activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy.She was then detained under Sosma the next day, as Section 124C falls under "security offences".Maria is now being held at an undisclosed location and could be detained for 28 days under Sosma.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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The Malaysian Bar called Maria's detention "oppressive, inhumane and degrading" after it was reported that she was being held in a windowless cell measuring 15 feet by 8 feet, forced to sleep on a slab of wood, with the lights kept permanently on.On Tuesday, Maria filed a habeas corpus application to the Kuala Lumpur High Court challenging her detention.