A human rights watchdog has declared 2014 as the worst year for freedom of expression since Najib Abdul Razak took over as prime minister.

According to the group Suaram's annual report on the state of human rights, 2014 saw 29 people investigated under the Sedition Act 1948, up from 10 cases the year before.

Among those who were nabbed were politicians, lawyers, academics, cartoonist, journalist, religious leaders, social activists and students.

"Last year witnessed the biggest crackdown against citizens since Operasi Lalang was orchestrated in 1987," read the report that was launched today.

In 2012, Najib announced that the Sedition Act would be repealed and replaced with the National Harmony Act to inculcate the "spirit of harmony and mutual respect".

Shortly after the 2013 election, Umno grassroots leaders publicly objected to the plan, prompting Najib to make a policy U-turn .

Five dangerous trends

Apart from muzzling dissidents, Suaram's reported also noted what it described as five worrying trends that developed in 2014.

First is the increase in racial and religious hate speeches by right wing groups that are " silently tolerated " by the authorities.

Secondly, there is an increase in cases of detention without trial. Suaram said there were 116 people who were detained under the Prevention of Crime Act 2013 and 37 more under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) during 2014.

Thirdly, there is a trend of government-instigated attacks against freedom of association, citing the persecution of rights groups such as Sisters in Islam (SIS), Coalition of Malaysian NGOs in the UPR Process ( Comango ) and Sarawak Association for Peoples' Aspiration (Sapa) as examples.

Fourthly, there has been 63 cases of death in police custody between 2011 and 2014.

Lastly, there was a worrying trend on how Malaysia handles refugee issues, reflected in Malaysia's tier-three ranking in the United States' State Department's Annual "Trafficking in Persons" report - the worst ranking possible.

Suaram program director Serene Lim expressed hope that Putrajaya would reverse these trends and halt all forms of human rights violations.