The United States has said it was troubled by the arrest of a Malaysian activist and critic of prime minister Najib Razak. Maria Chin Abdullah, the chair of pro-democracy group Bersih, was detained on Friday under Malaysia’s Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, or Sosma, a law that was introduced in 2012 to fight security and extremist threats. “We are troubled by the ongoing detention and solitary confinement of Maria Chin Abdullah under national security laws,” Alicia Edwards, a spokeswoman for the US state department, told Reuters in an emailed statement. Nearly a dozen activists and opposition leaders were arrested a day before the rally but they have all been released except Chin Abdullah. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Maria Chin Abdullah at a Bersih 5.0 rally press conference in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month.

Source: The Guardian November 24, 2016 01:59 UTC