• Lawyers and activists in Kuala Lumpur on November 29, 2011, protest the Peaceful Assembly Bill, which hours later passed parliament, the first step toward enactment into law.  

    © 2011 Reuters
    Malaysia: Promises of Reform Unfulfilled

    Malaysia fell far short during 2011 in meeting Prime Minister Najib Razak’s pledges to “uphold civil liberties” and build a “functional and inclusive democracy.”  

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  • Human Rights in Malaysia

    Prime Minister Najib Razak’s pledge to “uphold civil liberties” was belied by passage in November of the Peaceful Assembly Act, which bans “assemblies in motion” and empowers the police to control the content and conduct of public meetings. Police used the Societies Act to ban Bersih 2.0, a popular coalition demanding clean elections, and harshly broke up a July 9 rally in Kuala Lumpur, arresting nearly 1700 people. The government has not fulfilled its promise to repeal the Internal Security Act, an administrative detention law. On January 9, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, tried for consensual same-sex relations in a trial marred by due processes violations, was acquitted. 

Reports

Malaysia

  • An abhorrent trail of abuse
    Jan 24, 2012
    At least nine Cambodian women died last year while performing domestic work in Malaysia. And the grim reality is that, without strong action by the Cambodian and Malaysian governments to rein in exploitative recruitment and employment practices, more lives will be lost in 2012.
  • Malaysia: Promises of Reform Unfulfilled
    Jan 23, 2012

    Malaysia fell far short during 2011 in meeting Prime Minister Najib Razak’s pledges to “uphold civil liberties” and build a “functional and inclusive democracy.”  

  • Malaysia: Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim Acquitted
    Jan 9, 2012
    On January 9, 2012, a Kuala Lumpur court acquitted Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of consensual sodomy.
  • Malaysia: Revoke Law Banning Same-Sex Sexual Relations
    Dec 22, 2011
    The Malaysian government should revoke its colonial-era law criminalizing consensual sexual acts between people of the same sex. The authorities should drop their criminal case alleging consensual “sodomy” against opposition leader and former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is awaiting the verdict in his trial that began in February 2010.
  • Political Bait and Switch Trumps Rights Reform in Malaysia
    Dec 16, 2011

    The Peaceful Assembly Bill is a betrayal of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's earlier promises to bolster civil society through broadening respect for individual rights and enhancing democratic practices.

  • Malaysia: Allow Lawyers’ Rally to Proceed
    Nov 29, 2011
    The Malaysian authorities should allow the Malaysian Bar Council’s march to parliament to proceed without disturbance from police or counter-protesters.
  • Letter to the Prime Minister of Malaysia regarding the Peaceful Assembly Bill
    Nov 29, 2011
    Human Rights Watch writes to share our deep concerns regarding the Peaceful Assembly Bill (PA 2011), now before the Malaysian parliament.
  • Malaysia: End Use of Internal Security Act
    Nov 21, 2011
    The Malaysian government’s detention of 13 people under the Internal Security Act (ISA) contradicts Prime Minister Najib Razak’s pledge in September 2011 to repeal the abusive law and is a setback for reform.
  • Letter to Prime Minister of Malaysia regarding the Detention of 13 Persons under the Internal Security Act
    Nov 21, 2011
    We write to express our serious concerns that the Malaysian government is backtracking on promises you made on September 15, 2011, to repeal the Internal Security Act (ISA) 1960.
  • Malaysia: Reverse Ban on Sexual Diversity Festival
    Nov 8, 2011
    The Malaysian government should immediately rescind a police-imposed ban on the fourth annual Seksualiti Merdeka festival and adopt measures to protect all Malaysians from discrimination. The “sexual diversity” festival, which has been held since 2008 without incident or interference from government authorities, was scheduled to take place in Kuala Lumpur from November 9 to 13, 2011.
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