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Malaysia 'binges' on prosecutions of critics
Sydney Morning Herald - October 27, 2015
In a new 145-page report, Human Rights Watch documents the arrests of scores of people with critical views, including opposition politicians, activists, journalists and ordinary citizens, as well as the suspension of two critical newspapers, the blocking of websites and the declaration that peaceful protests were unlawful.
The New York-based organisation released the report on Tuesday, ahead of a summit of world leaders in Kuala Lumpur next month, expected to include US President Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Revealing details of little-known cases, Human Rights Watch said the summit will present an opportunity for world leaders to press Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to reform draconian laws and end censorship.
Mr Najib, fighting for his political life over an alleged corruption scandal, promised to "uphold civil liberties" and "regard for the fundamental rights of the people" when he took office in 2009.
But Human Rights Watch said repression intensified after Mr Najib's long-ruling coalition lost the popular vote but managed to retain power because of a gerrymandered voting system in elections in 2013.
The organisation said the government's use of the criminal code to silence peaceful expression violates international legal standards.
The report details the relentless pursuit of Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, one of Asia's best-known political cartoonists known by the pen name Zunar, who faces up to 43 years' jail on charges including nine counts of sedition, one for each of nine tweets he sent criticising a court's decision upholding a sodomy conviction of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
The jailing of Mr Anwar for five years is widely seen as part of a political vendetta against the politician who presented the biggest challenge to the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the party that has ruled the country for decades.
Human Rights Watch said among the many troubling cases documented in the report is that of University of Malaya law professor Azmi Sharom, who is facing trial on charges of sedition for expressing his legal opinion that actions taken by the government six years ago were illegal. "I was a law professor expressing a legal opinion," Dr Azmi said.
Maria Chin Abdullah, chairwoman of Bersih, an organisation that campaigns for free and clean elections, is facing 20 years' jail on charges that she "participated" in a street protest in February.
Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said Mr Najib has broken promises to revise laws that criminalise peaceful expression. "Instead, Malaysia has gone on a binge of prosecution of critics," Mr Adams said. "The government is making a mockery of its claims to democracy and fundamental rights by treating criticism as a crime".
The government has outlawed peaceful protests calling for institutional reforms and for 62-year-old Mr Najib to explain how $US700 million ($966 million) turned up in his private bank accounts in 2013 and what happened to the money. Mr Najib denies any wrongdoing, saying he has never taken money for personal gain.
Investigations are under way in Malaysia, Singapore, the US, Hong Kong and Switzerland into his personal finances and his oversight of sovereign fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad that is billions of dollars in debt.
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