Govt urged to stop weaponising laws against voices of UMS students

Borneo Post

24-05-2025

KOTA KINABALU (May 24): Amnesty International Malaysia has urged the government to drop all investigations against six students from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) who were summoned to the Kota Kinabalu district police headquarters (IPD) for investigations under Section 500 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (1998).
Its Interim Executive Director, Vilasini Vijandran, said the investigation of thebstudent activists is a deeply concerning attack on freedom of expression. Peacefully voicing criticisms and making demands through a press conference should never be treated as criminal offenses.
'The timing of these investigations — just weeks ahead of the Perhimpunan Aman Gempur Rasuah Sabah 2.0 rally in Kota Kinabalu — also sends a chilling message of intimidation by the Malaysian authorities. The Madani government must recognize that targeting student activists in this way not only suppresses youth voices but also risks fostering a culture of fear and self-censorship among them,' she said in a statement on Saturday.
Vilasini said a moratorium on investigations under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) is meaningless if authorities continue to rely on other repressive laws to stifle civic participation.
'This incident proves why amending the PAA alone is not enough — without systemic reforms and genuine respect for human rights, there will always remain ways to clamp down on public dissent.
'We urge the government to drop all investigations against the UMS students and commit to comprehensive legislative reforms that protect — not punish — peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. At this juncture, we need more than vague promises and minor amendments to legislation; we need the political will and systemic reform to dismantle the arsenal of laws used to silence public dissent in Malaysia,' she said.
On May 22, the six UMS student activists were summoned to IPD Kota Kinabalu following a police report lodged against them. The students are being investigated under Section 500 of the Penal Code (defamation) and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (improper use of network facilities) after holding a press conference related to the upcoming Perhimpunan Aman Gempur Rasuah Sabah 2.0 rally, scheduled for June 21–22 in Kota Kinabalu.
This is not the first time UMS student activists have been targeted. In February 2025, UMS student leader Fadhil Kasim was charged under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) — for failing to provide prior notice of an assembly — despite the government's earlier pledge to reform the law. The charges were later dropped following widespread pressure mounted by the public and civil society groups.
Amnesty International Malaysia has repeatedly highlighted how the use of outdated laws to investigate and harass activists in Malaysia reflects a broader pattern of repression and undermines the credibility of the government's own reform commitments.