KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia must not waver from its commitment to repeal anti-terrorism laws that silence critics and allow for detention without trial.
At the minimum, any amendments to the anti-terrorism legislation must conform with international human rights standards, said Mercy Chriesty Barends, chairman of Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), in a media statement today.
Expressing the watchdog’s disappointment with the current government’s flip-flop on repeal of Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma), the Indonesian politician called on her Malaysian colleagues to act and prevent its misuse.
The law, said Barends, must not be wielded as a tool against human rights defenders and even fellow MPs.
She was commenting on the government’s change of stance on Sosma, whereby deputy law minister Ramkarpal Singh announced that the law will now be reformed and not abolished.
Barends called for further discussion on the issue between APHR and the Malaysian government.
“We had high hopes for the current government.”
Malaysia has the potential to become a beacon of democracy and human rights in Southeast Asia, Barends posited.
Instead, she said, recent events have raised the alarm over the state of freedoms, citing the case of activist Arun Dorasamy, who was hauled by police days ago for alleged abuse of the Internet.
Arun is being probed under Section 504 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for reportedly criticising the prime minister’s act of officiating the conversion of a Hindu man to Islam.
“In any true democracy, citizens are able to question their leaders without fear of reprisals,” Barends said.
Such developments “that heighten our concern” are merely the tip of the iceberg, she warned.
Earlier, APHR had called on the Malaysian government to make good of its commitment to human rights reforms, and to stop the use of heavy-handed measures that curtail fundamental freedoms.
Repressive laws being used to criminalise government critics, including lawmakers, need to be quashed, it stressed. – The Vibes, August 28, 2023
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