Bersih 4 will continue as planned, despite a declaration by authorities that the weakend’s rally is illegal.
Bersih 2.0 chief Maria Chin Abdullah said organisers would meet with police after a statement by Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Alwi Ibrahim that the organisation was not registered, despite a High Court ruling in 2012 that the organisation was lawful, The Star Online reports.
Bar Council’s Human Rights Committee co-chair Andrew Khoo told the portal that there was no longer such a thing as an ‘illegal rally’.
“The courts have taken a dim view of taking action against a person exercising his or her constitutional right to peaceful assembly.”
“However, with the new Section 124B of the Penal Code, attending a rally could be deemed an activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy,” he told The Star Online.
Bersih 4 — which seeks the resignation of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak over the 1MDB controversy — will begin at 2pm on Saturday and continue for 34 hours.
