Malaysia has not shown any improvement in terms of upholding human rights, said Amnesty International Malaysia. 

In its annual report for 2016, Amnesty International said a major concern was the crackdown on freedom of expression and the lack of police accountability. 

Four other areas of concern identified in the report include the curb on freedoms of assembly and association, arbitrary arrests and detentions, refusal to recognise rights of refugees and asylum-seekers and the continued application of the death penalty.

"In 2016, repressive acts such as the Sedition Act 1948 and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 were repeatedly used to silence government critics who were harassed, intimidated and often detained, consistent with the trend we see within Southeast Asia on threats towards the region's human rights defenders," Amnesty International Malaysia executive director Shamini Darshni Kaliemuthu said.

She pointed to the examples of activists Hishamuddin Rais and Adam Adli, who each received RM5,000 fine for sedition charges.

Shamini also cited the example of activist Fahmi Reza, who was charged twice under the Communications and Multimedia Act.

Activists and opposition politicians were also arrested in relation to the Bersih 5 rally, she said, which goes against the freedoms of assembly and association.

Amnesty also drew attention to the abuse of preventive detention laws, such as the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma).

Solitary confinement of Maria Chin

The report highlighted the 11-day detention of Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah under Sosma, where she was reportedly kept in solitary confinement.

Shamini also brought up the case of 13 Sosma detainees who were allegedly tortured in police detention, as reported by Suaram.

"Decades have passed since the United Nations Convention Against Torture (Uncat) was entered into force, yet torture continues across the world, including in Malaysia, one of the few countries left which has yet to accede to the convention.

"However, by joining the other 161 United Nations (UN) member states that are party to the Uncat, Malaysia would be making a firm commitment towards eliminating torture," Shamini said.

Malaysia is one of 32 UN member states that are yet to ratify the Uncat.

Amnesty also noted in their report the impunity for custodial deaths, pointing specifically to the example of N Dharmendran, who died in police custody in 2013.

Treatment of refugees in Malaysia has also yet to improve, Shamini said, explaining that 400 Rohingyas were detained in the Belantik depot in Kedah for over a year in harsh conditions.

However, she added, most of them were released in June last year and some were resettled.

Amnesty's report also noted that the announcement by the government in 2015 related to the death penalty has yet to materialise, even as new death sentences and executions continue to take place.

Shamini said one of Amnesty's concerns about the death penalty is that there is a lack of procedure for notifications of scheduled executions to the families of those facing it.