Yesterday, Women’s March Malaysia (WMMY) said the police had summoned four people for questioning in relation to its rally held in conjunction with International Women’s Day on March 9.

“We were only exercising our constitutional rights, particularly our freedom to assemble and gather, along with our freedom of speech,” WMMY’s Chong Yee Shan told reporters outside Dang Wangi police headquarters today.

“We have been following the law and we don’t feel we have done anything wrong.”

Apart from Chong, the other three who were questioned were WMMY lawyer Nathalie Annette Kee and march participants Nik Azura Nik Nasron and Nur Ardila Maisara Mahazir.

Kee said she was shocked that her name was included in a police report as she was not present during the event.

“As a lawyer, I only accompanied the organisers when delivering the notice. I did not attend the assembly, so I’m confused to have been called in,” she said.

WMMY previously claimed that the police rejected their notice to hold the march four times before it was accepted, but this was later denied by Kuala Lumpur police chief Allaudeen Abdul Majid.

Lawyers for Liberty director Zaid Malek, one of the lawyers representing the four who were called in for questioning, urged the government to respect the rights of citizens to assemble.

He also called on the police to stop investigating those involved in such gatherings as long as they were peaceful.

“There shouldn’t be any unnecessary investigations as it’s a form of intimidation by the police,” he said.

On March 10, Dang Wangi police chief Noor Dellhan Yahaya said police were investigating the march under Section 15 of the PAA 2012 and Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955.

Section 15 of the PAA provides for considerable limits and requirements on the date, time and location of a physical peaceful gathering, while Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955 deals with “insulting behaviour”.