[ad_1]
PETALING JAYA: A global civil group has classified Malaysia as “obstructed”, saying that the assault on civil society and fundamental freedoms has persisted amid the global pandemic.
According to a Civicus report, the main violations of political and civic freedoms in the country and the Asian region include the use of restrictive laws to criminalize human rights defenders and opponents, censorship, harassment of activists and critics. and the repression of protests. .
Civicus has documented several incidents that show that civic freedom, including freedom of expression, has been violated in the country.
He said that following the change of government in early March, activists, including students, have faced judicial harassment by the police.
Restrictive laws such as the Communications and Multimedia Act have been used to prosecute online criticisms of religion and the monarchy, while parody versions are being investigated, it said in a statement.
“’The Malaysian authorities have also harassed journalists for their critical reporting, as well as filed criminal contempt proceedings against Malaysiakini.com.
“Al Jazeera foreign journalists and a whistleblower, Mohammad Rayhan Kabir, were forced to leave the country after a documentary on the abuses of undocumented immigrants during the pandemic, while freedom of the press has also deteriorated.
“People calling or holding peaceful protests have also been questioned or
arrested, like the five protesters demanding protection for hospital cleaners in Ipoh. “
Additionally, there has been a lack of progress by the government task force in investigating the disappearance of activist Amri Che Mat and Pastor Raymond Koh.
Malaysia has been rated as “obstructed” since the last world report.
However, there has been a further decline in the Philippines, which has been downgraded from “obstructed” to “repressed”.
“Continuous attacks on press freedom contribute to this degradation; ABS-CBN, the largest media network, was forced off the air, depriving people of critical information during the Covid-19 pandemic, while Rappler journalist Maria Ressa was found guilty. “
The report also showed that of the 25 countries in Asia, four – China, Vietnam, Laos and North Korea – are classified as “closed”, nine as “repressed” and nine as “obstructed”. Civic space in South Korea and Japan is rated “small”, while Taiwan is the only country rated “open.”
