Group urges govt to impose moratorium on Sedition Act
A group of NGOs has urged the government to impose a moratorium on the use of the Sedition Act, as well as Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA).
That was one of six legal reform recommendations made by the group, dubbed the Freedom of Expression (FOE) cluster, in conjunction with International Human Rights Day today.
The other recommendations included...
A group of NGOs has urged the government to impose a moratorium on the use of the Sedition Act, as well as Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA).
That was one of six legal reform recommendations made by the group, dubbed the Freedom of Expression (FOE) cluster, in conjunction with International Human Rights Day today.
The other recommendations included repealing the Sedition Act, the Official Secrets Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, and repealing or amending Section 233 of the CMA.
They also recommended the government to enact a Right to Information Act, expedite the establishment of an independent media council, and review the Film Censorship Act and the Finas Act to end arbitrary censorship of film and art.
Yesterday, a report by Suaram showed that sedition probes had almost doubled from 12 in 2019, to 20 in 2020.
Meanwhile, the FOE cluster also announced the setting up of a legal defence fund to support those being investigated and prosecuted for exercising freedom of expression.
"The fund will cover the legal fees and other expenses incurred by human rights defenders and members of the public (who are) facing adverse action by state authorities.
"Impacted human rights defenders will also be able to apply for additional monetary assistance and support," they said.
The fund's applicant will be vetted by the FOE cluster's members - Article 19, Centre for Independent Journalism, Freedom Film Network, Gerakan Media Merdeka, Kryss Network, Sinar Project, Amnesty International Malaysia, Justice for Sisters, Sisters in Islam, Suaram, C4, Gerak, and Aliran.
