Maria Chin freed

PETALING JAYA: Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah has been released from detention.

"Maria is out! Confirmed!" tweeted Lawyers for Liberty on Monday evening.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said Maria was released at about 4.45pm.

"She was taken to Bukit Aman where her release was processed," he said.

Former Bersih chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan also tweeted: "Our dear friend Maria has been set free! Praise God! She is with me and is well!"

Maria was detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) on the eve of the Bersih 5.0 rally.

Police raided the Bersih office on Nov 18 and Maria was arrested under Section 124C of the Penal Code, which relates to attempts to commit an activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy.

Bersih 2.0 secretariat member Mandeep Singh was arrested together with Maria during the raid.

Mandeep was released on bail on Nov 20.

On Nov 23, Khalid said Maria was detained after documents "detrimental to parliamentary democracy" were found in her office and not over Nov 19's Bersih 5 rally.

He said Maria's detention was "to give police ample time to get a statement from her on the nature of Bersih 2.0's funds".

On Nov 22, Maria's lawyers filed a habeas corpus application at the High Court seeking for her immediate release from the detention.

The court set Nov 29 to hear the application.