The Sun
At noon, the group including Amer, Benjy's sister Elza Irdalynna Khairil Anwar, Bar Council president K. Ragunath, MPs and members of several human rights NGOs handed over a memorandum addressed to Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Musa Hassan. A police officer from the public relations department accepted the memorandum on behalf of the IGP.
"This is a mockery of the law to deny an individual of their right to a counsel. I merely sought an explanation from the police personnel and asked them for their authority cards but they held me by my arms before briefly arresting me. I was then released after they had taken away my client.
"Benjy was released and then to have him arrested under preventive laws which disallows a fair trial is unacceptable. We are against all preventive laws," said Amer.
Lawyer N.Surendran said the group had come in solidarity and wanted the IGP to take stern action against the police personnel involved in manhandling Amer.
"There should be no interference from any party when a lawyer is executing his duties on behalf of his client, otherwise it is a serious breach of human rights" he said.
Elza said police told her family that they were not allowed to meet Benjy, 32, for the first two weeks of his detention under the Special Preventive Measures law of the Dangerous Drugs Act.
"Benjy is asthmatic and needs his medication. Though we could not meet him, my father managed to hand over some medication to the investigation officer to pass to Benjy," she said, adding that her brother is currently being held at the Bukit Jalil police station.
On Monday, theSun reported that Benjy was re-arrested to initiate a thorough investigation into his alleged drug dealing activities.
Kuala Lumpur police narcotics department chief ACP Kang Chez Chiang said police detained Benjy as investigators have grounds to believe the actor's further involvement in narcotics.
KUALA LUMPUR (March 31, 2010): About 50 lawyers, accompanied by MPs, human rights activists and supporters gathered at the entrance of the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters here today to protest the alleged manhandling of a lawyer by policemen at the Jalan Duta Court Complex last week.
The lawyers were enraged after lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad, who was handling the drug possession case of actor Khaeryll Benjamin Ibrahim, better known as Benjy, on March 25 was physically restrained by several policemen.
Amer had intervened and tried to seek an explanation from the police who had waited outside a courtroom to re-arrest Benjy, the son of actress Azean Irdawaty, who was charged with possessing methamphetamine and released on bail.
At noon, the group including Amer, Benjy's sister Elza Irdalynna Khairil Anwar, Bar Council president K. Ragunath, MPs and members of several human rights NGOs handed over a memorandum addressed to Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Musa Hassan. A police officer from the public relations department accepted the memorandum on behalf of the IGP.
"This is a mockery of the law to deny an individual of their right to a counsel. I merely sought an explanation from the police personnel and asked them for their authority cards but they held me by my arms before briefly arresting me. I was then released after they had taken away my client.
"Benjy was released and then to have him arrested under preventive laws which disallows a fair trial is unacceptable. We are against all preventive laws," said Amer.
Lawyer N.Surendran said the group had come in solidarity and wanted the IGP to take stern action against the police personnel involved in manhandling Amer.
"There should be no interference from any party when a lawyer is executing his duties on behalf of his client, otherwise it is a serious breach of human rights" he said.
Elza said police told her family that they were not allowed to meet Benjy, 32, for the first two weeks of his detention under the Special Preventive Measures law of the Dangerous Drugs Act.
"Benjy is asthmatic and needs his medication. Though we could not meet him, my father managed to hand over some medication to the investigation officer to pass to Benjy," she said, adding that her brother is currently being held at the Bukit Jalil police station.
On Monday, theSun reported that Benjy was re-arrested to initiate a thorough investigation into his alleged drug dealing activities.
Kuala Lumpur police narcotics department chief ACP Kang Chez Chiang said police detained Benjy as investigators have grounds to believe the actor's further involvement in narcotics.
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