5 lawyers won’t face charges

By Chan Kok Leong, The Edge

KUALA LUMPUR: Some 60 people, consisting of Malaysian Bar Council lawyers and Bersih activists, gathered at the Brickfields police station this morning.

Bersih leader and political analyst Wong Chin Huat and Bar Council's human rights committee chairman Andrew Khoo were also present.

Three Bar Council lawyers were allowed in to negotiate before Brickfields OCPD ASP Wan Abdul Bahari Wan Khalid came out with a loud speaker to disperse the crowd.

However, after some 20 minutes, the lawyers — N Surendran and BAR vice president Lim Chee Wee — emerged to say that no charges will be placed on the five lawyers.

At a short press conference, Lim called for the setting up of the Indepedent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission.

The five Bar Council Legal Aid Centre (KL) lawyers, who were arrested last week, were reporting to the police station to find out if they will be charged.

The five lawyers were arrested with Bersih activists, who held a candlelight vigil for Bersih detained leader Wong Chin Huat, on May 7.

Wong was detained on May 5 for sedition. The activist was alleged to have urged Malaysians to wear black in the 1BlackMalaysia campaign to protest the Barisan Nasional takeover of Perak in February.