It said while it understands the complexity in balancing public health, in view of surging Covid-19 cases, and the right to gather peacefully, it was concerned over the arrest of an activist under the Sedition Act as well as action against organisers of a rally planned for tomorrow.

“Suhakam advises the authorities, in particular the police, that they have an obligation both legally and morally to facilitate peaceful assemblies and to protect freedom of expression,” it said in a statement today.

Putrajaya, it added, had previously accepted all recommendations to revise the Peaceful Assembly Act to eliminate discrimination and hindrance to a peaceful gathering.

The authorities should allocate adequate space to enable social distancing and health screening of the participants to be conducted safely, Suhakam said.

While organisers should observe and strictly comply with SOPs at all times, those who have Covid-19 symptoms or comorbidities should not take part in the gathering, it added.

“Suhakam hopes that all parties, including the police and the organisers, are able to collaborate in order to achieve a win-win solution.”

Yesterday, activist Sarah Irdina Mohamad Ariff was arrested while giving her statement at the Dang Wangi police station.

According to the rally’s organiser Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat, police also confiscated her phone and issued a search warrant to raid her home.

She was released at 1am today.

Earlier, three young activists — Tharma Pillai, Afiq Adib, and Muhammad Alshatri — were called in for police questioning over tomorrow’s #Lawan protest at Dataran Merdeka.