Siti’s 18-hour ordeal
It began with a plea for help, prompting Siti Kasim to whisk the victim away and the woman’s mum to alert the police. Handcuffed and placed in a lockup, the lawyer and activist was finally set free but many Malaysians, especially lawyers, are crying foul.
KAJANG: The arrest of lawyer activist Siti Kasim was the result of a case linked to a report lodged on June 21, Selangor CID chief Senior Asst Comm Fadzil Ahmat said.
“This is following a report made by the victim’s mother on June 21 that stated that her daughter had been taken away by Siti Kasim when the young woman was undergoing a psychiatric examination at the Kajang hospital.
“A police report was also made by the police there because there was a commotion that occurred when Siti Kasim tried to enter the examination ward despite being prevented by a security guard,” he said when contacted yesterday.
He added that information gathered during the course of police investigation led to the eventual arrest of Siti just after midnight yesterday.
When the police arrived at the condominium in Segambut, Kuala Lumpur, they found the young woman to be uncooperative.
“The victim refused to cooperate and had locked herself in the room. Because of this, the police had to force their way in to ensure she did not injure herself and others,” said SAC Fadzil.
He said that another psychiatric examination would be conducted on the victim.
According to one of Siti’s Facebook posts, her client, who is an adult, had tried to leave her allegedly abusive mother and live on her own but her mother had lodged a police report claiming that the young woman was mentally unstable and that her aqidah (faith) was in question.
The viral video, believed to have been shot at a police station, depicted Siti arguing with the police after they had taken the victim in.
An argument occurred after Siti insisted that she had not taken the victim against her will.
The 24-year-old woman was also seen in the video confirming Siti’s statement.