29-04-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Govt urged to halt crackdown on rights amid ‘eroding' civic space
Amnesty International Malaysia said the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 continues to be used to criminalise protests despite constitutional and international protections for the right to gather.
PETALING JAYA : Amnesty International Malaysia has called on the government to uphold human rights after highlighting what it described as a deepening erosion of civic space in 2024.
At the launch of its annual State of the World's Human Rights report, the organisation said that Malaysia, like many countries worldwide, had taken troubling steps backward in areas such as freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and the treatment of migrants and detainees.
The report, covering 150 countries, outlined a global increase in censorship, surveillance, and violence against dissenters. Amnesty International Malaysia said that even powerful states such as permanent members of the UN Security Council contributed to undermining the international human rights order.
In Malaysia's case, the NGO pointed to several trends that it found concerning, including the continued use of restrictive laws and a lack of progress on long-standing civil liberties issues. While it acknowledged a reduction in the number of people on death row, it said this was overshadowed by wider backsliding in other areas.
Amnesty International Malaysia interim executive director Vilasini Vijandran said that despite electoral promises by the government, there had been little effort to reverse entrenched restrictions on free speech.
She cited the continued use of laws such as the Sedition Act 1948 and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 to target artists, activists, and critics.
Among the cases highlighted were that of Mukmin Nantang, who was investigated for sedition after defending the rights of the Bajau Laut community, and artist Fahmi Reza, who was arrested for his satirical artwork targeting a political figure.
Amnesty International Malaysia also expressed concern over amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act and the passage of the Online Safety Bill, which it said could give the government sweeping powers to regulate online content without sufficient safeguards.
The NGO also raised alarms over the state of peaceful assembly in Malaysia, noting the continued use of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 (PAA) to criminalise protests despite constitutional and international protections for the right to gather.
One example cited was the arrest of stateless Bajau Laut students in Sabah who had protested for better access to water, which Amnesty International Malaysia said sent a 'chilling message' to young people.
While Amnesty International Malaysia welcomed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's plans to amend the PAA, starting with the removal of a section requiring venue-owner permission for protests, it said the government had yet to clarify whether broader, meaningful reforms to the Act would follow.
The NGO also criticised Malaysia's treatment of refugees, migrants, and detainees, which it said remained one of the most pressing human rights concerns in 2024.
'From arbitrary detention to unchecked abuse (in detention centres), the government's current approach not only dehumanises people in search of safety and a better life but entrenches a system of impunity,' said Vilasini.
Custodial deaths were a concern as well, with Amnesty International Malaysia noting that at least 24 such deaths were reported between 2022 and mid-2024. It said government promises of independent oversight through the Independent Police Conduct Commission had yet to translate into real accountability.
The organisation also criticised the continued use of the death penalty despite moves to reduce its application, saying courts reportedly continued to hand down death sentences, including for drug-related crimes.
Amnesty International Malaysia concluded its assessment by urging the government to put human rights 'back at the heart of its agenda'. It also called for reforms that protect fundamental freedoms, ensure accountability in law enforcement, and fully abolish the death penalty.
