Censored: Magazine’s story on July 9 rally

Marker ink masks mention of Baharuddin’s death,
the banning of the march and police action
against participants

PETALING JAYA: The government has censored an article on Bersih’s July 9 rally in the latest issue of The Economist.

Three paragraphs are blacked out in marker ink.

The offending paragraphs mention the death of marcher Baharuddin Ahmad, the withdrawal of an offer to allow a gathering in a stadium, the banning of the rally, and police action caught on film.

The article says the “heavy-handed” police tactics against the demonstrators indicated that the government was nervous and could not tolerate opposition above a certain lelvel.

Quoting Amnesty International, the UK-based magazine describes the government’s response as “the worst campaign of repression in the country for years”.

It speculates that “perhaps” Barisan Nasional was remembering the 2007 Bersih march and its influence on the 2008 general election.

The full article, titled “Taken to the cleaners”, is available here. It has been online since July 14.