M'sian activists, opposition, media under attack, says HRW
The Malaysian government's crackdown on legitimate democratic dissent and criticism has intensified, decried Human Rights Watch (HRW), claiming that activists, the opposition and media are now in the government's crosshair.
"Malaysia’s human rights situation deteriorated sharply during 2015, as the government increased its campaign of harassment and repression against activists, political opposition figures, and the media," stated the rights watchdog in its World Report 2016 on human rights.
The 659-page World Report 2016, its 26th edition, documents HRW's review on human rights practices in more than 90 countries.
HRW executive director Kenneth Roth writes that the spread of terrorist attacks beyond the Middle East and the huge flows of refugees spawned by repression and conflict led many governments to curtail rights in misguided efforts to protect their security.
At the same time, authoritarian governments throughout the world, fearful of peaceful dissent that is often magnified by social media, embarked on the most intense crackdown on independent groups in recent times.
These global trends, the NGO stated, are also prevalent in Malaysia as observed by its representatives.
“The Malaysian government responded to public criticism of a major corruption scandal and its persecution of former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim with a wave of repression,” said HRW's deputy director for Asia, Phil Robertson.
“Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is trampling on fundamental rights to hush up corruption allegations and maintain his grip on power,” he added.
HRW listed various violations of human rights throughout 2015, noting that authorities arrested dozens of people under the Sedition Act for making remarks critical of the government, the judiciary, and Malaysia’s sultans. At least, 33 people have been charged with sedition in the last two years, including seven opposition members of Parliament.
It also pointed to government response to 1MDB corruption allegations by suspending newspapers, blocking websites, banning the logo of Bersih and arresting dozens of people for participating in peaceful protests and charging individuals with “economic sabotage” because they lodged police reports about 1MDB in foreign countries.
HRW also mentioned the "politically motivated prosecution" of Anwar despite the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention demanding his immediate release and reinstatement of his political rights and the deteriorating rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.
The NGO also noted Malaysia's implementation of restrictive security laws, which critics have said have been abused as a means to repress dissent rather than being used to curb terror, pointing out:
- The reintroduction of indefinite detention without trial in the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA).
- Amendments to the Sedition Act to increase the penalties for violations and make it easier to use the law against online speech.
- The sweeping National Security Council law that allows the prime minister to declare security areas within which restraints on police power are suspended.
“The government’s intolerance of critical speech and its ongoing campaign of arrests and prosecutions belie any claim that Malaysia is a rights-respecting democracy. If Malaysia wants to play a role on the international stage, it needs to step back from the brink and end the current campaign of repression,” said Robertson.
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