IUSY and YES condemn the sudden and unfair arrest of IUSY President Howard Lee and other members of the opposition in Malaysia. Howard is a Representative in the Perak State Assembly in Malaysia and he was taken into custody by the police for participating in the Bersih 5 protest, a rally asking for clean elections, clean government, the strengthening of parliamentary democracy, right to dissent, empowering Sabah and Sarawak, denounce the abuse of power by the current Prime Minister, and denounce the gerrymandering of the election commission for the upcoming elections.
Other members of the opposition were also arrested, including MP Anthony Loke, the Chairperson for Bersih, Maria Chin Abdullah, and Bersih Secretary Mandeep Singh.
At the present time, President Lee is being held at the State Police Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur and no lawyers have been let in. Howard Lee is a member of the Democratic Action Party and is the International Secretary for the party’s youth wing, DAPSY.
IUSY and YES demand the immediate release of President Lee and the cease of all politically driven arrests in Malaysia, calling for their human and political rights to be respected.
#LetLeeGo