Human Writes: People with autism need the law’s protection, not prosecution

Ahmad Ziqri at his birthday celebration. Photo taken from Hasnah Abd Rahman's Fabebook post.

It was a family celebration, a birthday at a favourite steakhouse in Subang Jaya. But Sept 11 turned into a nightmare for everyone when the birthday boy, 22-year-old Ahmad Ziqri Morshidi, who happens to be autistic, ended up in jail for allegedly touching a young woman’s chest.

Police say they were following SOP (standard operating procedure), but the case was far from ordinary. It involved someone with a disability, who was carrying an Orang Kurang Upaya (persons with disabilities) card, someone with “diminished mental capacity” according to his mother.