SOLIDAR strongly condemns the arrest Howard Lee, President of International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY), and other opposition members in Malaysia

Howard Lee, President of International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) and Representative in the Perak State Assembly in Malaysia for the Democratic Action Party was arrested by the police in Kuala Lumpur for participating in the Bersih 5 protest, in which they called for clean elections, clean government, the strengthening of parliamentary democracy, the 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.

SOLIDAR has continuously been active to call for freedom of association and civil society space is shocked by this undemocratic act and calls upon the Malaysian authorities for the immediate release of the members of the opposition arrested.