Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Anand Ponnudurai awarded each of the activists RM15,000 in damages.KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here has ordered the government and police to pay a total of RM195,000 to 13 activists for wrongfully arresting them during a candlelight gathering five years ago.The activists are Nur Qyira Izzat Yusri, Nalina Nair, M Thulsi Thivani, Loh Kar Mun, Noor Suhana Ishak, Dr Subatra Jayaraj, Tharmelinggem Pillai, P Ilaiya Barathi, Addy Samsudin, Dinesh Venkitesan, Khairi Zulfadhli Abu Bakar, Wong Yan Ke and Asraf Sharafi Azhar.Justice Anand Ponnudurai awarded each of them RM15,000 in damages.They were among those arrested during a candlelight vigil for those who died from Covid-19 at Dataran Merdeka on Aug 19, 2021.They sued the police officers involved in the operation, the home ministry and the government for breaching their constitutional rights, and sought damages.Anand ruled that the police officers and the government were liable for wrongfully arresting the activists.He said that police officers "confiscated" their identity cards at the scene, indirectly depriving them of their freedom and rights."They were told to go to the (Dang Wangi) police headquarters and some of them were 'forced' into police vehicles. They posed no threat after the gathering ended."While at the station, they could not leave until their statements were recorded," Anand said.The judge added that the activists were also denied access to their lawyers while in detention."When the lawyers managed to enter the police station, some of their statements had already been taken, and these lawyers could only observe the recording process (for the remaining detainees)," he said.Anand also said the police unlawfully marked the 13 individuals' arms with a marker pen to identify them with their seized phones."There was no SOP for the police to do that," he said.Lawyers Kee Hui Yee and New Sin Yew appeared for the activists while federal counsel Anis Najwa Nazari appeared for the police officers and the government.
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