Malaysian police fire tear gas at electoral reform rally

Malaysian police have clashed with tens of thousands of protesters calling for an overhaul of the country's electoral system.

Security forces in the capital fired tear gas and water cannon at the demonstrators, after they broke through a barricade near Independence square.

Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, a Malaysian lawyer and president of the National Human Rights Society, tells Al Jazeera the demonstrators should have been allowed to protest peacefully.