KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian man has accused the country's police of torturing him as a result of his participation in the Bersih 3.0 protest. According to local reports, the 24-year-old activist went to give a statement at a local police station, but was then detained and tortured. Mohd Safuan Mamat was quoted by Free Malaysia Today of having arrived at a district police station only to be arrested and beaten by officers on duty. On Tuesday, he lodged a report at the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters, accompanied by Lawyers for Liberty coordinators Fadiah Nadwa Fikri and Afiz M Noor against the police for their use of force. Also present were Bersih steering committee members Maria Chin Abdullah and Mandeep Singh. But earlier in the day, Safuan was charged by a Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur over his participation in the demonstration. In the police report, Safuan said that he went on his accord to the Dang Wangi police station yesterday morning, to give a statement on his participation in the Bersih 3.0 rally held on April 28. Safuan said that after recording his statement, a plainclothes officer took him to a lock-up behind the station and threatened to detain him if he did not “confess.” “I was later handcuffed and put [overnight] in a lock-up. Later, another officer, who was in full uniform, came into my cell holding a black metal pipe,” said Safuan. The man said the officer then asked him whether he was Bersih participant and kicked him until he fell down. Safuan claimed the officer also forced him to admit that he had damaged a police car during the rally. “When I denied the accusation, the officer struck my face with the metal pipe. He also hit me on my shoulder when I refused to confess,” he said. Police violence in Malaysia has become a grave concern for activists, who have accused the government of excessive force during rallies across the country. “It just shows that we are in need of major reform and change within the security forces of Malaysia,” said one activist, who said groups are already beginning to organize a new protest against police brutality. “How many more victims of police violence will be allowed. It is time for change,” the activist told Bikyamasr.com on condition of anonymity.
