Latest news with #VilasiniVijandran
Borneo Post
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Govt urged to stop weaponising laws against voices of UMS students
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.
Malay Mail
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Amnesty: Malaysia's custodial deaths and detention abuses raise rights concerns despite death penalty rollback, calls for stronger IPCC
KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 — Allegations of custodial deaths and police misconduct remain among Malaysia's most pressing human rights issues, Amnesty International said in its State of the World's Human Rights report for 2024 released today. According to official figures, 24 custodial deaths were recorded between 2022 and May 2024, with authorities attributing all cases to 'medical reasons'. Separately, 20 deaths were reported in immigration detention centres within the first half of 2024 alone. Despite these alarming numbers, Amnesty International and other civil society groups criticised the lack of transparency and independent oversight. The human rights organisation reiterated calls for the government to strengthen the Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC), warning that without greater authority and independence, the body would remain ineffective in holding law enforcement accountable. Speaking at the launch, Amnesty International Malaysia's interim executive director Vilasini Vijandran said Malaysia's treatment of refugees, migrants and detainees was one of the most pressing concerns marked by indefinite detention, denial of legal safeguards and systemic abuse in detention centres. 'From arbitrary detention to unchecked abuse, the government's current approach not only dehumanises people in search of a better life but entrenches a system of impunity,' Vilasini said. In September 2024, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that both the police and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) would conduct investigations into injuries and deaths of detainees in custody. However, Amnesty International noted that systemic issues of abuse and poor detention conditions continue to persist. Amnesty International also acknowledged Malaysia's progress in reducing death sentences following the 2023 Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act, which led to a significant decrease in death row populations. As of this January, 140 people are on death row including 43 whose death sentences were upheld by the Federal Court as part of the resentencing. She said despite fewer death row sentences, the government had yet to follow through with steps to abolish the death penalty entirely. The courts continued to hand out death sentences for drug-related offences, defying international law and undermining the government's own claim of progress. 'True reform must address systemic injustice. Until the death penalty is abolished in full, the right to life remains under threat,' she said. Concerns were further amplified following the death of a detainee in Pokok Sena prison in October 2024, who succumbed to a bacterial infection after being whipped, despite having had his death sentence commuted. The report paints a grim picture beyond custodial settings as well. Amnesty found that refugees and migrants were subject to indefinite detention under harsh conditions, with over 17,000 people detained in 25 centres nationwide. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been denied access to these centres since 2019. On legal reforms, Amnesty International criticised the government for failing to amend or repeal restrictive laws such as the Sedition Act and the Printing Presses and Publications Act. Instead, authorities expanded powers under the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) in December, raising fears of intensified censorship and suppression of dissent. Freedom of assembly also suffered setbacks, with police using the Peaceful Assembly Act, Penal Code, and Minor Offences Act to investigate and detain protesters, including pro-Palestinian demonstrators and organisers of the Women's March Malaysia. Research and advocacy officer Nicole Fong said in 2024, freedom of expression regressed as Pakatan Harapan did not adhere to their manifesto. 'The CMA (Communications and Multimedia Act) had restrictive amendments while the Online Safety Act was rushed and passed despite civil society concerns on the swift consultations and rushing through amendments. 'It's also managed by MCMC and not independent and there's no clear definitions as to what constitutes offensive content. Instead of repealing these laws, it was used to crack down on artists and activists,' she said. Amnesty concluded by urging the government to address structural issues within law enforcement and detention systems, and to honour its pledges towards greater transparency, accountability and protection of fundamental rights.
Free Malaysia Today
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.
