A 25-year-old man, Mohd Saufi Othman,
lodged a police report today claiming that he was physically abused by
10 policemen while participating in the giant Bersih 3.0 rally in Kuala
Lumpur on April 28.
Mohd Saufi, a recent university graduate, alleged that he was beaten by the police even though he was outside the “forbidden area” of Dataran Merdeka, where the sit-in was supposed to be held.
The Kuala Lumpur mayor, however, obtained a court order to prevent Bersih from holding its event inside the Dataran, resulting in a massive spill-over of about 250,000 people on the streets.
Mohd Saufi (right)
said that the alleged violent incident involving him and the uniformed
men took place from 5.10pm to 5.30pm in front of the OCBC Bank, near
Masjid Jamek.
“Due to the police beating, I sustained injuries and was bleeding on my face and nose. I was beaten on my chest with hard objects including handcuffs and a pistol,” he told reporters after lodging the report in Jalan Pattani, at the Northeast District Police Headquarters.
“My head was kicked and stepped on when I fell. Since then, I have difficulty breathing,” added Mohd Saufi, who attended the event with his parents.
Mohd Saufi, who hails from Seberang Jaya, said he had proof of the incident which is available on a YouTube recording titled ‘Bersih 3.0 Police Beat Protestors Cruelly’.
When the barricades to Dataran were breached, police fired tear gas and chemical-laced water, with several cases of violence occurring on several fronts involving the police, protesters and journalists.
Meanwhile, Zainalfaqar Yaacob, who also writes for an online news website in Penang, claimed he was beaten by police all over his body, except for his face.
The 29-year-old was covering the event for the state and for online news website Penang Insight along Jalan Masjid Jamek, when the incident happened in front of the OCBC Bank.
“I
was beaten by about 10 police personnel when I tried to rescue Mohd
Saufi from being stepped on by the group of policemen,” Zainulfaqar (left) said after lodging his report at the Jalan Pattani station.
“Except for my face, my entire body was roughed up by the police who gave me flying kicks and also made death threats,” he added.
Zainulfaqar said he could only identify three of the policemen who allegedly beat him as all of the uniformed men did not wear their identification numbers on their shirts.
He added that he made the report as he wants his rights as a victim of violence to be respected, urging the police themselves to hold a public inquest on the matter.
Mohd Saufi, a recent university graduate, alleged that he was beaten by the police even though he was outside the “forbidden area” of Dataran Merdeka, where the sit-in was supposed to be held.
The Kuala Lumpur mayor, however, obtained a court order to prevent Bersih from holding its event inside the Dataran, resulting in a massive spill-over of about 250,000 people on the streets.
Mohd Saufi (right)
said that the alleged violent incident involving him and the uniformed
men took place from 5.10pm to 5.30pm in front of the OCBC Bank, near
Masjid Jamek.“Due to the police beating, I sustained injuries and was bleeding on my face and nose. I was beaten on my chest with hard objects including handcuffs and a pistol,” he told reporters after lodging the report in Jalan Pattani, at the Northeast District Police Headquarters.
“My head was kicked and stepped on when I fell. Since then, I have difficulty breathing,” added Mohd Saufi, who attended the event with his parents.
Mohd Saufi, who hails from Seberang Jaya, said he had proof of the incident which is available on a YouTube recording titled ‘Bersih 3.0 Police Beat Protestors Cruelly’.
When the barricades to Dataran were breached, police fired tear gas and chemical-laced water, with several cases of violence occurring on several fronts involving the police, protesters and journalists.
Penang gov’t staff member also claims police abuse
Meanwhile, Zainalfaqar Yaacob, who also writes for an online news website in Penang, claimed he was beaten by police all over his body, except for his face.
The 29-year-old was covering the event for the state and for online news website Penang Insight along Jalan Masjid Jamek, when the incident happened in front of the OCBC Bank.
“I
was beaten by about 10 police personnel when I tried to rescue Mohd
Saufi from being stepped on by the group of policemen,” Zainulfaqar (left) said after lodging his report at the Jalan Pattani station.“Except for my face, my entire body was roughed up by the police who gave me flying kicks and also made death threats,” he added.
Zainulfaqar said he could only identify three of the policemen who allegedly beat him as all of the uniformed men did not wear their identification numbers on their shirts.
He added that he made the report as he wants his rights as a victim of violence to be respected, urging the police themselves to hold a public inquest on the matter.
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