Human rights group Amnesty International Malaysia has predicted a bad year for the country in terms of human rights violations.

The group's executive director Shamini Darshni said this is especially due to the deepening threats to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

“Human rights for last year was not so good, and it doesn’t look good for this year and next year, either.

"Malaysia's human rights have worsened throughout the years, and we see this in the arrests of activists and opposition political leaders under the Sedition Act," Shamini ( left ) said after presenting the Amnesty International Report 2014/2015 today.

Amnesty International’s annual report provides a comprehensive overview of human rights in 160 countries during 2014.

Apart from concerns of the country's use of the Sedition Act and other “repressive” laws, the group is also concerned with the arbitrary arrests, discrimination against minority religious groups by the authorities, the conduct of the police, the continued use of the death penalty and the country's treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.

Shamini, meanwhile, pointed out that the group also sees the same trend of sedition blitz happening with the recent spate of arrests.

“The way the Sedition Act is being used, is to repress dissent.

“Critical voices must be acknowledged as part of democracy. Different parties don’t have to agree, but they can debate on subjects,” she said.

She added that although the group did not expect the Act to be “softened”, especially with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s announcement that it will be strengthened, the group hoped that the amendments to the Act do not further violate citizen rights.

Those investigated, charged or imprisoned under the Act last year included a journalist, academics and students. Activicts Adam Adli Abdul Halim and Safwan Anang were convicted of sedition and at least 16 people faced charges at the end of 2014.

Crackdown during CNY

A crackdown during the Chinese New Year celebrations saw activists S Arutchelvan,  Lawrence Jayaraj, Adam Adli, Fariz Musa and politician Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad detained by the police for sedition as well as for unlawful assembly.

Shamini said the government was obligated to clearly outline and publicise what constitutes incitement to rebellion per se.

“The lack of solid justification for arrests and detainment which is happening now is appalling and is an outright violation of human rights.”

A forecast of the Asia-Pacific region also sees space shrinking for civil soceity and the media, as governments continue to use repressive laws against the people.

“The media will face more restrictions,” she said, pointing out how the country’s media outlets and publishing houses continue to face sweeping restrictions under the Printing Presses and Publications Act.

She also pointed out how the authorities continue to use the Prevention of Crime Act (PCA) and the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) to arbitrarily arrest individuals.

As for discrimination, the report found that the authorities had increasingly used religion as a justification for discrimination against minority religious groups.

The Federal Court in June last year rejected an appeal seeking to overturn a ban preventing Christian newspaper The Herald from using the word ‘Allah’ in its publications.

The authorities had claimed that the use of the word in non-Muslim literature was confusing and could cause Muslims to convert.

Meanwhile, the police have faced persistent allegations of human rights violations, including deaths in custody, torture and other ill-treatment. At least 13 people were known to have died in police custody last year.

The government has also continued to reject urgings to establish an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission as recommended in the 2005 royal commission report.

On death sentences which continue to be imposed, Shamini said the country has not been completely open with the number of people it has executed.

“The civil society cannot debate the issue because we don’t have an actual understanding of the landscape when it comes to the use of the death penalty.”

'Gov't must publicise executions'

She also stressed that the government must publicise executions so that they are not done in a secretive manner.

“When an execution happens, the government must make a public notice in the form of an announcement,” she said.

As for the country’s treatement of refugees, Malaysia had violated the international prohibition against refoulement by forcibly returning refugees and asylum seekers to countries where they faced human rights violations.

The authorities in May last year returned two refugees and an asylum seeker - all of them under the UN refugee agency - to Sri Lanka where they faced possible torture and other ill-treatment.