Nurul Izzah to spend night in jail after being detained under Sedition Act

PKR's Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar speaking to reporters outside the Dang Wangi police headquarters today. She went to give her statement pertaining to the #KitaLawan rally on March 7. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, March 16, 2015.Police have detained Nurul Izzah Anwar under the Sedition Act today over a speech made in Parliament, making her the latest opposition lawmaker held under the colonial era law.

She will spend a night in jail at the Jinjang police station, while her remand hearing has been set for 10am tomorrow.

The opposition politician and eldest daughter of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was brought out of the Dang Wangi police station at 6.45pm and taken to the remand centre at Jinjang, in Kuala Lumpur.

The Lembah Pantai MP had gone to the Dang Wangi police station to get her statement taken when police arrested her.

Nurul Izzah, who is also PKR vice-president, had been ordered by the police to give her statement at the Dang Wangi police headquarters today in connection with the #KitaLawan held in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on March 7.

She is also under investigation for sedition over a recent speech she made in Parliament, where she criticised the judiciary over the Federal Court verdict that upheld her father, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's conviction for sodomy.

Nurul Izzah told reporters earlier this afternoon at around 2:30pm that the police informed her that she would be investigated regarding Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948.

She said that on Friday, an ASP Muniandy had arrived at her home with two police cars looking for her and expressed surprise at the need to do so as she had already agreed to come to the police station today.

"What's surprising is that ASP Muniandy arrived with two police cars last Friday at my father's house at Segambut," she said.

"I have no idea how long my statement would take," she added, before going into the police headquarters.

Subang MP R. Sivarasa who was among other Pakatan Rakyat MPs accompanying Nurul Izzah questioned the actions of police in going to her house as if the federal lawmaker were a "criminal".

"The question that we should ask the police is that why are they so keen on going to Nurul Izzah's house? It's not like she's a thief or criminal that would run away.

"It is a form of threat, four policemen waiting in front of the house. This kind of attitude is unacceptable.

Nurul Izzah clenching her fist as she responds to her supporters from inside the Dang Wangi police headquarters today. She was arrested after going to give her statement pertaining to the #KitaLawan rally on March 7. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, March 16, 2015."Izzah is a Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai and this kind of treatment is very unprofessional and political," he said.

The day before police went to her house, former Perkasa vice-president Datuk Zulkifli Noordin lodged a police report against Nurul Izzah over her speech delivered in Parliament on March 10.

In her speech, she read out portions of Anwar's speech text since the opposition leader is in Sungai Buloh prison serving a five-year jail sentence imposed by the court.

Nurul Izzah's reiterated Anwar's claim that the sodomy charges and trial were a political conspiracy, and also accused the judges of "bowing to political masters", also calling them "partners in a crime that contributed to the death of a free judiciary".

Zulkifli, who was once with PKR, later said he lodged the police report because Nurul Izzah had insulted the judiciary.

- TMI