The protection of basic human rights is enshrined in
Constitution of Malaysia
The Federal Constitution of Malaysia ( ms, Perlembagaan
Persekutuan Malaysia) which was promulgated on 16 September 1963, is the supreme law of Malaysia and contains a total of 183 articles. It is a written legal document which was preceded ...
. These include liberty of the person (Article 5) and prohibition of slavery and forced labour (Article 6). At the national level, legislative measures that exist to prevent human rights violations and abuses can be found in acts and laws on issues that either have a human rights component or relate to certain groups of society whose rights may be at risk of being violated. Human rights groups are generally critical of the Malaysian government and the
Royal Malaysia Police
The Royal Malaysia Police (often abbreviated RMP) ( ms, Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM)), is a (primarily) uniformed national and federal police force in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organisation. Its headquarters are located at Bukit Aman ...
. Preventive detention laws such as the
Internal Security Act Internal Security Act may refer to:
* Internal Security Act 1960, former Malaysian law
*Internal Security Act (Singapore)
* McCarran Internal Security Act, a United States federal law
*Suppression of Communism Act, 1950, a South African law, rename ...
and the Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) Ordinance 1969 allow for detention without trial or charge and as such are a source of concern for human rights organizations like
Suara Rakyat Malaysia.
Legislation
Several Malaysian laws are said to restrict basic human rights. Recent sweeping changes in these laws have been described by the government as human rights reforms but, according to critics, have actually, in some regards, made restrictions even more stringent.
The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs has defended the country's strict controls on human rights with the explanation that the nation "takes a holistic approach to human rights in that it views all rights as indivisible and interdependent. In Malaysia, the rights of every citizen are protected by legal provisions in the
Federal Constitution... But these rights are not absolute and are subject to, among others, public order, morality and security of the country." Hence, while claiming to "uphold... the universal principles of human rights," Malaysia finds it important to "take into account the history of the country as well as the religious, social and cultural diversities of its communities. This is to ensure that the respect for social harmony is preserved and protected. The practices of human rights in Malaysia are reflections of
a wider Asian value system where welfare and collective well-being of the community are more significant compared to individual rights."
Traditional restrictive legislation
There are several strong and sweeping pieces of legislation that have long been used by Malaysia to restrict the human rights of individuals and thus preserve, in its view, social order. In 2008,
Amnesty International summed up the state of human rights in Malaysia, in part, by noting that the government had "tightened control of dissent and curtailed the right to
freedom of expression
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recog ...
and
religion
Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
," arresting bloggers under the Sedition Act, using the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) to control the content of newspapers, and arbitrarily arresting several individuals under the Internal Security Act (ISA). In 2012 there were major changes in a number of these laws that were officially described as human rights reforms but that have been widely criticised either for not going far enough or for, in fact, further restricting human rights.
Internal Security Act
Perhaps the best known of these laws is the Internal Security Act, which was passed in 1960, three years after Malaysia gained its independence from Britain. Widely viewed as draconian, it permits long-term detention without trial, and over the decades has been used systematically against individuals who have been viewed, for various reasons, as threats to Malaysia's government or to the "social order."
Sedition Act
Another powerful and widely employed piece of legislation, which dates back to 1948, when Malaysia was still a British colony, is the Sedition Act, which criminalizes speech or writing that is considered to be seditious. A great many critics and political opponents of the Malaysian government have been arrested and held under the Sedition Act, the effect of which has been to restrict freedom of expression in Malaysia.
Printing Presses and Publications Act
Passed in 1984, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, which makes it a crime to publish anything without a government licence that must be renewed every year by the
Home Affairs Ministry, has been used to silence government critics and to ban various publications for a variety of reasons. As with the Sedition Act, the practical effect of the Printing Presses and Publications Act has been to severely restrict freedom of speech in Malaysia. Meanwhile, in East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak), the press is more free as there is less concern of controversy happening there.
Police Act
The Police Act of 1967 allows the
Royal Malaysia Police
The Royal Malaysia Police (often abbreviated RMP) ( ms, Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM)), is a (primarily) uniformed national and federal police force in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organisation. Its headquarters are located at Bukit Aman ...
to detain persons without warrants, and has been used especially to restrict the
freedom of assembly
Freedom of peaceful assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the freedom of association, is the individual right or ability of people to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue, and defend their collective or shared ide ...
. Under the Police Act, until recently, police permits were required for gatherings of over four people, other than strikes.
Changes in restrictive laws
On 15 September 2011,
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Najib Razak announced that the Internal Security Act would be totally repealed and "be replaced by a new law that incorporates far more judicial oversight and limits the powers of the police to detain suspects for preventive reasons." The government also committed itself to the repeal of some of its other best known legal instruments for restricting human rights, including the Sedition Act and Emergency Declarations and Banishment Act. In addition, the government agreed to review several laws, including Section 27 of the Police Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act and the Official Secrets Act.
Security Offences (Special Measures) Act
In a June 2012 article published in the
East–West Center
The East–West Center (EWC), or the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West, is an education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peopl ...
's Asia Pacific Bulletin and reprinted in the ''
Bangkok Post'' and on
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
's website, writer Mickey Spiegel noted that in April 2012, the
Malaysian parliament
The Parliament of Malaysia ( ms, Parlimen Malaysia) is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives, lit. "People's Assembly") and the ...
had passed the replacement for the Internal Security Act (ISA), called the Security Offences (Special Measures) 2012 Act (SOSMA). Spiegel complained that SOSMA "does not go far enough to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of Malaysians." In fact, asserted Spiegel, SOSMA is "actually more repressive and retrograde" than the ISA in some ways, an indication that the government was "playing '
bait-and-switch
Bait-and-switch is a form of fraud used in retail sales but also employed in other contexts. First, customers are "baited" by merchants' advertising products or services at a low price, but when customers visit the store, they discover that the a ...
' with human rights."
For example, "coupled with amendments to other laws," SOSMA "tightened restrictions or banned outright activities already under constraint, added limits to previously unrestricted activities, and broadened police apprehension and surveillance powers in new and innovative ways." In addition, it "further erodes citizens' individual protections, for example by ceding to the police rather than judges the power to intercept communications."
Peaceful Assembly Act
The Peaceful Assembly Act replaced Section 27 of the Police Act, which required police permits for large gatherings. Under the new law, such permits are not necessary. Instead, organisers must give the police ten days' notice of any planned gathering, after which the police will reply, outlining any restrictions they wish to place on the gathering.
The new act forbids street protest, prohibits persons under 15 from taking part in gatherings, prohibits persons under 21 from organising them,
and bars them from taking place near schools, mosques, airports, railway stations, and other designated places.
Though touted as a reform of Section 27 of the Police Act, the Peaceful Assembly Act has been severely criticised by the
political opposition
In politics, the opposition comprises one or more political parties or other organized groups that are opposed, primarily ideologically, to the government (or, in American English, the administration), party or group in political control of ...
and others as more restrictive than the legislation it replaced, with one opposition leader saying that the it gives "absolute powers to the police."
ASEAN human-rights declaration
In November 2012,
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Najib Razak signed the first
human rights declaration by the
ASEAN
ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...
nations, an action that officially committed Malaysia "to its first foreign convention to promote fair treatment of every individual irrespective of race, religion and political opinion." This signing, it was noted, took place at a time when Malaysia had "come under close international scrutiny for its alleged mishandling of several recent human rights issues," including crackdowns on two major pro-democracy protests in
July 2011 and
April 2012. The
Human Rights Commission of Malaysia
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia ( ms, Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia Malaysia) better known by its acronym SUHAKAM is the national human rights institution (NHRI) of Malaysia. It was established by the Malaysian Parliament under the Human ...
expressed its disappointment that the declaration permits "restrictions to be made on grounds wider than what are accepted internationally," and pointed especially to General Principle 7, "which declares on the one hand, that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated, recognises on the other, that Member States may take into consideration their political, economic, legal, socio-cultural, and historical backgrounds in the realisation of human rights in their countries."
Employment Act (Minimum Wage)
As in 1 May 2022, minimum monthly payable wage binding by the Minimum Wages Order 2022 was RM 1,500 for firms that have more than five employees, whereas minimum hourly wage amounts to RM7.21 per hour.
Human Rights Commission of Malaysia
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, better known in the country as Suhakam (which is short for Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Malaysia), is the country's major agency for addressing human-rights issues.
Human rights groups
The leading human rights organisation in Malaysia is
Suara Rakyat Malaysia. On 17 September 2012, several dozen international human rights groups issued a joint press release protesting what they described as "the Malaysian government's ongoing harassment" of Suara Rakyat Malaysia.
Basic rights
The
Constitution of Malaysia
The Federal Constitution of Malaysia ( ms, Perlembagaan
Persekutuan Malaysia) which was promulgated on 16 September 1963, is the supreme law of Malaysia and contains a total of 183 articles. It is a written legal document which was preceded ...
forbids discrimination against citizens based on sex, religion, and race, but also accords a "special position" in Article 153 of the Constitution, to
Bumiputera Bumiputera or Bumiputra, which is a Malay word, comes from the Sanskrit word ''Bhumiputra'' which may be transliterated as "son of earth" or "son of the soil" (Bhūmi; भूमि = earth; putra = son). It has different definitions in Brunei and M ...
, the indigenous peoples of Malaysia including ethnic Malays and members of tribes indigenous to the states of Sabah and Sarawak in eastern Malaysia. Those who are not members of the ethnic Malay majority are treated according to article 153 of the Malaysian Federal Constitution where special privileges to ethnic Malays and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak are to be provided in education, employment, and other spheres.
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech in Malaysia has been widely disputed upon as many rallies and protests, including
Bersih
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections ( ms, Gabungan Pilihanraya Bersih dan Adil) or Bersih (meaning ''clean'' in Malay) is a coalition of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which seeks to reform the current electoral system in Malaysia t ...
, have been seen to have their members arrested without warrant.
On 8 July 2020,
Human Right Watch reported that Malaysian authorities have initiated criminal investigations against people criticising the government. Journalists, civil society activists, and ordinary people have faced police questioning for peaceful speech.
On July 30, 2020, Human Rights Watch appealed to the Malaysian authorities for the release of Mohamed Rayhan Kabir, a Bangladeshi migrant worker, who was arrested for his criticism of government policies towards migrants. He was featured in an
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
documentary that aired on July 3 about the treatment of migrant workers during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia
The COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). , with over 4,945,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, over 27,000 active c ...
.
Freedom of assembly and movement
Although citizens technically enjoy the right to assembly, public gatherings are subject to police approval. The Societies Act requires organisations of seven or more people to register, with the government denying registration to certain groups, including human rights organisations, and the Universities and University Colleges Act restricts the formation of student groups. While Malaysians generally enjoy freedom to travel within the country and abroad, and to move abroad and move back to Malaysia, residents of peninsula Malaysia require passports or national IDs to enter the states of Sabah and Sarawak, and citizens cannot travel to Israel without official permission.
Freedom of religion
The constitution guarantees
freedom of religion
Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freed ...
, but also states that
Islam is the official religion. Among the official
public holidays in Malaysia (varying by area) are Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian holy days. Marriages between Muslims and non-Muslims are not recognised;
ethnic Malays are considered Muslim by law.
Non-
Sunni interpretations of Islam are illegal.
[ International Religious Freedom Report for 2011: Malaysia](_blank)
– U.S. State Department Islamic courts enforce
sharia law in certain areas of responsibility.
In practice, non-Muslims face religious discrimination, including the right to own land.
Furthermore, in several states,
apostasy
Apostasy (; grc-gre, ἀποστασία , 'a defection or revolt') is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that ...
by Muslims is, depending on the state, punishable by imprisonment, detention,
whipping
Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed on ...
or fines.
Two states have the
death penalty on apostasy, but federal law prevents the implementation of the death penalty for apostasy. Malaysia will also not register interfaith marriages with Muslims.
Political freedoms
Though Malaysia has a
multi-party
In political science, a multi-party system is a political system in which multiple political parties across the political spectrum run for national elections, and all have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in coa ...
parliamentary
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...
system of government with a
constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
, the
United Malays National Organisation
The United Malays National Organisation ( Malay: ; Jawi: ; abbreviated UMNO () or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest continuous national political party within Malaysia (since its ...
(UMNO) had held power since 1957 and opposition parties do not compete on a level playing ground. However, UMNO was voted out of office in 2018, ending its 61-year reign as Malaysia's ruling party. Over the years, the
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
's powers have increased and
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
's have declined. The only elected officials are members of state assemblies and of the federal parliament. Since 1969, municipal and other officials have been appointed.
However, there are signs of improvement in recent years, as Malaysia's ranking in the 2020
Press Freedom Index
The Press Freedom Index is an annual ranking of countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders since 2002 based upon the organisation's own assessment of the countries' press freedom records in the previous year. It intends to re ...
increased by 22 places to 101st compared to the previous year, making it the only country in Southeast Asia (besides East Timor) without a 'Difficult situation' or 'Very Serious situation' with regards to press freedom. Likewise, Malaysia's ranking increased by nine places in the 2019
Democracy Index
The ''Democracy Index'' is an index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research division of the Economist Group, a UK-based private company which publishes the weekly newspaper ''The Economist''. Akin to a Human Development I ...
to 43th compared to the previous year, and is classified as a 'flawed democracy'.
Children's rights
Malaysians inherit citizenship from their parents. Persons who cannot prove that their parents were married, or whose parents were of different religions, are denied citizenship and considered
stateless. Children who lack birth certificates cannot attend public or private schools. Primary education is compulsory, but this requirement is not enforced.
Incest
Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adopti ...
and other forms of
sexual exploitation of children
Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a commercial transaction that involves the sexual exploitation of a child, or person under the age of consent. CSEC involves a range of abuses, including but not limited to: the prostitution ...
are common, as is the
genital mutilation of girls. While
statutory rape
In common law jurisdictions, statutory rape is nonforcible sexual activity in which one of the individuals is below the age of consent (the age required to legally consent to the behavior). Although it usually refers to adults engaging in sexual ...
is illegal, enforcement is complicated by the fact that sharia law regards menstruating girls as adults. Child prostitutes are often treated not as victims but as delinquents. Many children of illegal immigrants live on the street and work menial jobs, commit crimes, or engage in prostitution. Malaysia is not a party to the 1980
,
but after the
United Nations Human Rights Council
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), CDH is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. ...
's
Universal Periodic Review The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a mechanism of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) that emerged from the 2005 UN reform process.resolution 60/251of 3 April 2006, the UPR periodically examines the human rights performance of al ...
of Malaysia in 2009, the government withdrew several but not all of its reservations under the
Convention on the Rights of the Child
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (commonly abbreviated as the CRC or UNCRC) is an international human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children. The Co ...
(CRC) and acceded to the two optional protocols to the CRC.
Women's rights
Malaysia ratified the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in August 1995 with reservations. Certain reservations were removed in 2010 but some were maintained, namely Articles 9(2), 16(1)(a), 16(1)(c), 16(1)(f) and 16(1)(g) as these Articles were said to be in conflict with the
Malaysian Federal Constitution and
sharia law.
Controversial rape laws
There are crisis centres at many government hospitals where victims can report acts of
rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...
and
domestic abuse
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for '' intimate partne ...
, but owing to cultural attitudes and other factors about 90 percent of rape victims remain silent. Domestic abuse cases are often complicated, moreover, by provisions of sharia law that forbid wives to disobey their husbands, including in bed. Medical treatment for women is adequate, including pre- and postpartum care.
The punishment for rape in Malaysia is a prison term of up to 30 years, plus
whipping
Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed on ...
and a fine; the law against rape is enforced effectively. Despite effective rape enforcement, however, there is also a complicated issue concerning the way the law limits, much to the detriment of rape victims, what actually constitutes as rape. Under Section 375A of the Penal Code, page 45, rape only happens when a man's penis enters a woman's vagina sans prior consent. The penetration of women via other orifices, and by objects other than the penis, may not be considered as rape, as so was a case in 2011 in which a man who had impregnated a 15-year-old girl was released by the High Court only because he used his finger, prompting public outcry and an ensuing rally.
This same section under the Penal Code also allows men to perform intercourse against their spouses without permission.
Marital rape is not officially recognised as a crime in Malaysia, but since 2007 the government has outlawed husbands from deliberately hurting their wives for sex. Despite that, it can still be a problem for victims who have not sustained injury.
Adding to the issue of marital rape is also the fact that sharia courts allow the release of rapists who decide to marry their own victims. One case involved a man in his 20s who sexually abused an underaged girl 14 years of age, but was acquitted by the Bornean court for having married her.
["Is marrying the rapist to the victim the Malaysian way?" The Borneo Post, Aug 5 2016.]
/ref>
Sharia courts
Women are discriminated against in sharia courts, especially in family-law matters. Sharia allows men to have multiple wives and favours males in inheritance cases. Non-Muslim women, and Muslim women in four states, enjoy equal parental rights. There is employment discrimination against women. In Kedah, women performers can appear only before female audiences.
Sexual harassment
In Malaysia, sexual harassment as defined by the Employment Act 1955, is "any unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, whether verbal, non-verbal, visual, gestural or physical, directed at a person which is offensive, humiliating or a threat to their well-being." The Act does not distinguish between male and female or employer and employee. As such, sexual harassment can be committed by a female against a male, or an employee against an employer.
Sexual harassment is common, and since 2010 trains on Malaysian railways have included pink-coloured women-only cars as a means of cutting down on it. There are also women-only buses in Kuala Lumpur since 2010. In 2011, the government launched a women-only taxi service in the greater Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
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area. The taxis have women drivers, and operate on an on-call basis.
Disability rights
Discrimination against the disabled is legal, but the government promotes the acceptance and employment of such persons. While new government buildings are designed with disabled people in mind, older buildings and public-transportation vehicles are not. A lower excise duty is charged on cars and motorcycles designed for disabled persons. The Ministry of Human Resources is tasked with protecting disabled rights. A Persons with Disabilities Act was passed in 2008 but violators are not penalised. In the wake of the United Nations Human Rights Council
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), CDH is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. ...
's Universal Periodic Review The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a mechanism of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) that emerged from the 2005 UN reform process.resolution 60/251of 3 April 2006, the UPR periodically examines the human rights performance of al ...
of Malaysia in 2009, Malaysia ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, though with certain reservations.
Indigenous people's rights
For the most part, indigenous people do not participate in decisions affecting their lives, and their rights are not effectively protected. Under the Aboriginal People's Act, members of indigenous groups do not have land rights, and logging firms encroach on their traditional lands. Although for a long time indigenous persons were often deprived of their lands without due process, this situation has improved in recent years. Malaysia is signatory to the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), but has still not ratified ILO Convention 169.
The 20-point agreement, or the 20-point memorandum, is a list of 20 points drawn up for North Borneo, proposing terms for its incorporation into the new federation as Sabah, during negotiations prior to the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963. Some of the twenty points were incorporated, to varying degrees, into what became the Constitution of Malaysia
The Federal Constitution of Malaysia ( ms, Perlembagaan
Persekutuan Malaysia) which was promulgated on 16 September 1963, is the supreme law of Malaysia and contains a total of 183 articles. It is a written legal document which was preceded ...
; others were merely accepted orally, thus not gaining legal status. Point 12: Special position of indigenous races ~ "In principle the indigenous races of North Borneo should enjoy special rights analogous to those enjoyed by Malays in Malaya, but the present Malaya formula in this regard is not necessarily applicable in North Borneo".
Trafficking in persons
Malaysia, according to Amnesty International, "is a destination and, to a lesser extent, a source and transit country for women and children trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation, and men, women, and children for forced labour... Malaysia improved from Tier 3 to the Tier 2 Watch List for 2008 when it enacted comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation in July 2007."
As of 2021, Malaysia is listed as a Tier-3 country.
Official persecution of minorities
Islamist supremacist Bumiputra laws
Islam is the sole official religion of Malaysia. The Constitution of Malaysia
The Federal Constitution of Malaysia ( ms, Perlembagaan
Persekutuan Malaysia) which was promulgated on 16 September 1963, is the supreme law of Malaysia and contains a total of 183 articles. It is a written legal document which was preceded ...
declares that Islam is the only religion of the Malay people and that native Malays are required to be Muslims. Conversion from Islam to another religion is against the law, but the conversion of non-Muslims to Islam is actively pursued through institutionalised means and discriminatory laws against non-Muslims. The government actively promotes conversion to Islam in the country.[Gill & Gopal, Understanding Indian Religious Practice in Malaysia, J Soc Sci, 25(1-2-3): 135-146 (2010)] The discriminatory law requires that any non-Muslims who wish to marry a Muslim must first convert to Islam, or else the marriage is considered illegal and void.[ While in a non-Muslim family, should one parent decides to become a Muslim, the children (under the legal age of 18) may be forcibly declared as Muslims, even against the children's will or without the consent of the other parent.][2011 Report on International Religious Freedom - Malaysia]
U.S. State Department (2012)
Persecution of Hindus
Human rights of religious and ethnic minorities in Malaysia, including Buddhists, Hindus
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
, Sikhs, Indians and Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
, are systematically, officially and legally violated regularly in an institutionalised manner to induce forced conversion
Forced conversion is the adoption of a different religion or the adoption of irreligion under duress. Someone who has been forced to convert to a different religion or irreligion may continue, covertly, to adhere to the beliefs and practices which ...
s and ethnic cleansing to homogenise society to Islam.
People of Indian descent are derogatorily called ''keling
Keling () or Kling is a derogatory term used in parts of Southeast Asia to denote a person originating from the Indian subcontinent. This includes both those from India and overseas Indians. In modern usage it is not commonly capitalised. Th ...
'' in Malaysia. In many modern cases, ''keling'' is used as a derogatory term. It was used in 2005 by members of parliament because of misconception about ethnic Indians, which resulted in an uproar accusing the members of parliament of racism.
Sharia and Bumiputera laws
There are numerous cases in Malaysian courts relating to official persecution of Hindus. For example, in August 2010, a Malaysian woman, Siti Hasnah Banggarma, was denied the right to convert to Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
by a Malaysian court. Siti Hasnah Banggarma, who was born a Hindu, but was forcibly converted to Islam at age 7, desired to reconvert back to Hinduism and appealed to the courts to recognise her reconversion. The appeal was denied. In 2016, an association of eight Hindu NGOs found that about 7,000 Hindus in Malaysia wrongly documented as Muslims. This problem was widespread throughout Peninsular Malaysia and involved mostly practising Hindus from the lower income group who are documented as Muslims.
Destruction of Hindu temples
Between April to May 2006, several Hindu temples were demolished by city hall authorities in the country, accompanied by violence against Hindus. On 21 April 2006, the Malaimel Sri Selva Kaliamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
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, pushpin_map_caption =
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, sub ...
was reduced to rubble after the city hall sent in bulldozers. The authorities' excuse was that these temples were unlicensed and squatting on government land.
LGBT rights
Both section 377 of the Penal Code as well as several state-level laws criminalise homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...
and sodomy
Sodomy () or buggery (British English) is generally anal or oral sex between people, or sexual activity between a person and a non-human animal ( bestiality), but it may also mean any non- procreative sexual activity. Originally, the term ''sod ...
. Laws forbidding sodomy and unnatural carnal intercourse are occasionally enforced, and there is considerable social prejudice founded in the Islamic view of homosexuality, although the situation in this regard is reportedly improving. Gays are not permitted to appear in the state media, and cannot be depicted in films unless they "repent" or die.
In two speeches given in June and July 2012 to Muslim groups, Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Najib Razak described gays as a "deviant culture" that had no place in Malaysia. In December of that year, Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
decried Najib's remarks, saying that his "actions against LGBT people are a glaring contradiction to his self-proclaimed profile as a 'global moderate' leader." Those actions include shutting down a November 2011 sexual-diversity festival and a government programme to train people to "convert gays".
The Malaysian establishment's view of LGBT rights was reflected in a 12 September 2012, letter to a Malaysian newspaper by the vice president of the Muslim Lawyers Association of Malaysia, Azril Mohd Amin. Writing about the proposed declaration of human rights by the ASEAN
ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...
countries, Azril, wrote that: "There will be attempts by LGBTs, NGOs, and various other activists to include LGBT rights and the right of absolute freedom of religion in the declaration." But if such rights were included in the declaration, "Malaysia as a Muslim-majority country would have to reiterate her strong objections; as such a policy clearly contradicts the principles enshrined in the religion of Islam." According social recognition to LGBT people "would be confusing and destructive to the development and witness of our own children... Malaysian and those who are against LGBT rights are thereby protecting the human race from the secular fallacy, perpetrated by the United Nations, that human beings may do as they please, within their so-called 'sovereign borders' (as laid down by the European powers)."
Rights of refugees and asylum seekers
Malaysia is not a party to the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, and it has no provision for the granting of asylum or refugee status or for protecting persons from being returned to countries where their lives are in danger. Nonetheless, Malaysia does co-operate with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) by not deporting registered refugees whose resettlement in other nations is being arranged. Illegal immigrants and asylum seekers are held in immigration detention centres (IDCs). Since 2009, Malaysia has not deported persons carrying UNHRC refugee cards. Refugees may work but are not provided with access to education. Immigration officials used to be accused of trafficking IDC-held refugees to Thailand to be sold into slavery, but no such accusations were made in 2010.
According to Amnesty International, officers of RELA (Ikatan Relawan Rakyat), a civilian volunteer force empowered to arrest migrants and refugees, "often extort money from migrants and refugees, and sometimes beat them."
Rohingya refugee detainees
Tens of thousands of Rohingya
The Rohingya people () are a stateless Indo-Aryan ethnic group who predominantly follow Islam and reside in Rakhine State, Myanmar (previously known as Burma). Before the Rohingya genocide in 2017, when over 740,000 fled to Bangladesh, an ...
, a mostly Muslim minority who have long been persecuted in Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
, have sought safety in Malaysia with many risking dangerous boat journeys to get to the country following a brutal military crackdown in 2017. Malaysia detains these individuals in detention centers in order to deter others from entering the country. The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR It said it was ready to work with the Malaysian government on alternatives to detention, especially for children and the elderly. “Depriving individuals of their liberty in order to deter others from entering the country is unlawful, inhumane and ineffective,” the statement said. “Seeking asylum is not an unlawful act. In all cases detention should be a measure of last resort, should be authorized by the law and only undertaken if necessary and reasonable in all the circumstances, and proportionate to a legitimate aim.
Employee rights
Most workers can join unions, but this right is restricted by the Trade Unions Act (TUA) and the Industrial Relations Act (IRA), as well as by other laws limiting the freedom of association
Freedom of association encompasses both an individual's right to join or leave groups voluntarily, the right of the group to take collective action to pursue the interests of its members, and the right of an association to accept or decline mem ...
. The right to strike
Strike may refer to:
People
* Strike (surname)
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
*Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
is so severely limited that striking is effectively impossible. Private-sector workers are allowed to engage in collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and rights for workers. The ...
. Malaysia's minimum wages policy is decided under the National Wages Consultative Council Act 2011 (Act 732). Forced labour is illegal, but occurs, with many women and children essentially being forced to work in households, and many of them suffering abuse. Children under 14 are not allowed to work but some exceptions are permitted. The Employment Act limits working hours and imposes other restrictions, but they are not enforced strictly. The United States Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemploy ...
's ''List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor The ''List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor'' is an annual publication issued by the United States Government’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor. It has been published within the December 2014 D ...
'' indicates that instances of child labour and forced labour have been observed in the electronics and the textile industries as well as in the production of palm oil. Many foreign employees work under unfair and abusive conditions, with employers withholding pay and confiscating passports. There is an Occupational Safety and Health Act, but workers who walk out of dangerous workplaces are subject to dismissal.
Forced labour concerns
In 2020, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had banned Malaysian products of Sime Darby Plantation, the world's biggest palm oil planter by land size, from entering the United States, citing reasonable suspicion of use of forced labour. That allowed the authorities to detain goods at ports. In January 2022, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection
United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilit ...
(CBP) published a finding that Sime Darby
Sime Darby Berhad () is a Malaysian trading conglomerate. Its core businesses operate and serve in the industrial, motors and logistics sectors as well as the healthcare, and insurance segments.
Background
The modern Sime Darby Berhad corpo ...
Plantation was using forced labour on its plantations in Malaysia to harvest fresh fruit bunches used to extract palm oil and produce derivatives. This finding would allow CBP to seize the firm's products. In April 2022, Cargil
Cargill, Incorporated, is a Privately held company, privately held American global food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Minnetonka, Minnesota, and incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1865, it is the largest privatel ...
announced that it had halted palm oil purchases from Sime Darby as the company had not presented sufficient information to address forced labor allegations by the U.S.
Migrant worker housing standards
The vast majority of Malaysia's 2 million documented migrant workers live in accommodation that does not meet Malaysia's housing standards, according to the Ministry of Human Resources. Companies have been accused of demanding excessive overtime, not paying wages, retaining workers’ identity documents and keeping them in debt bondage.
Pact with Indonesia
On 1 April 2022, Malaysia and Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding on the placement and protection on Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia. The One Channel System regulates the entire process of recruiting, placing and repatriating Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia. On 13 July 2022, Indonesia announced a freeze on sending its citizen migrant workers to Malaysia, citing a breach in the One Channel System, which was linked to allegations of trafficking and forced labour.
Rights of persons under arrest
Warrantless arrests are not permitted, and suspects may be held without charge for up to three weeks with a magistrate's permission. Suspects are sometimes released and then re-arrested, often questioned without being offered legal representation, and occasionally denied family visits. Detention of material witnesses in criminal cases is permitted. Pre-trial detention can last several years. Several laws permit the detention of suspects without judicial review or the filing of charges. In addition, there have been several cases of extra-judicial enforced disappearances: Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat were abducted by agents of the Malaysian Special Branch
The Special Branch or SB ( Malay: ''Cawangan Khas'') is an intelligence agency attached to the Royal Malaysia Police. The SB is empowered to acquire and develop intelligence on internal and external threats to the nation, subversive activiti ...
.
Under the Internal Security Act (ISA), police were permitted to arrest and detain for 60 days, without warrant or counsel or judicial review, persons who acted "in a manner prejudicial to the national security or economic life of Malaysia." The ISA did not permit judicial review of most ISA decisions, and the United Nations Human Rights Council
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), CDH is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. ...
considered the ISA inconsistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, ...
. Under SOSMA, "initial police detention is cut to a maximum of 28 days, after which the attorney-general must decide whether to prosecute and on what charges." But "judicial oversight is notably absent during the first 24 hours of police custody and such absence can be extended to the entire 28-day investigatory period." While SOSMA "promised to ease incommunicado detention by mandating immediate notification of next-of-kin and access to a lawyer chosen by the suspect," in fact "initial access can be postponed for 48 hours should a higher level police officer consider it prudent; another serious violation of an individual's due process rights."
The Emergency Ordinance (EO) empowers the Home Affairs Minister to issue an order to detain persons for up to two years to preserve public order or prevent violent crimes. In 2009, 548 persons were held under the EO. Suspected drug traffickers, including those already freed by ordinary court processes, may be arrested and held for 39 days without trial or a detention order, and thereafter held without charge indefinitely, with their detention approved every two years by an advisory board. In 2009, over 1,000 persons were detained in this fashion. Under the Restricted Residence Act, the Home Affairs Minister may compel individuals to live in residences other than their homes and to remain within the neighbourhood; such an order can be renewed indefinitely by authorities.
In 2009 alone, police killed 108 persons during arrests. Torture as such is not illegal. In the past there were many allegations of abuse in immigration detention centres and of persons detained under the ISA, but the number of such allegations declined considerably in 2010.
In 2017, Ri Jong Chol, a North Korean citizen living in Malaysia, was arrested as a murder suspect. After his release, Ri told the media that he was coerced into making false accusations and that the police had threatened to hurt his wife and two children.
Rights of persons on trial
The Constitution provides for a dual justice system, under which secular law and sharia (syariah) law are both recognised, and secular criminal and civil courts co-exist with sharia courts. Sharia law applies only to, and sharia courts have jurisdiction over, only Muslims. In some states, sharia courts solely or principally adjudicate family and personal law, while in other states they are empowered to pass judgment on criminal matters.
Malaysia's secular law is based on English common law
English law is the common law legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly criminal law and civil law, each branch having its own courts and procedures.
Principal elements of English law
Although the common law has, historically, be ...
. Defendants in serious criminal cases are entitled to government-paid lawyers. Pre-trial discovery in criminal cases is limited. Testimony by witnesses is sometimes disallowed. Defendants are not routinely entitled to see evidence held by the government. The right to appeal is sometimes restricted.
Due process rights are sometimes compromised. Women do not enjoy equal treatment in sharia courts, especially in divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
and child custody
Child custody is a legal term regarding '' guardianship'' which is used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent or guardian and a child in that person's care. Child custody consists of ''legal custody'', which is the righ ...
cases.
Privacy rights
The right to privacy is an element of various legal traditions that intends to restrain governmental and private actions that threaten the privacy of individuals. Over 150 national constitutions mention the right to privacy. On 10 December 194 ...
are sometimes infringed upon, with the authorities monitoring emails sent to websites and police permitted to search homes, confiscate items, and take people into custody without a warrant. Officials from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) may even enter private premises without a warrant if they suspect Muslims are gambling, consuming alcohol, or committing adultery. Messages sent or received by individuals suspected of corruption or terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
may be intercepted.
Under the new SOSMA
The Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 ( ms, Akta Kesalahan Keselamatan (Langkah-Langkah Khas) 2012, abbreviated SOSMA) is a controversial law supposedly "to provide for special measures relating to security offences for the purpose of ...
legislation, the prosecutor at a trial is permitted to keep secret the identity of prosecution witnesses, thus preventing cross-examination
In law, cross-examination is the interrogation of a witness called by one's opponent. It is preceded by direct examination (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, South Africa, India and Pakistan known as examination-in-chief) and ...
. SOSMA also revised the rules of evidence, enabling prosecutors to use information without disclosing sources.
Rights of inmates
Prisoners suffer from overcrowding, poor food, and irregular water supplies. Inmates are allowed visitors. Religious observance is allowed, provided the religion in question is not one of 56 Islamic sects considered "deviant". Medical care is poor, with hundreds dying of communicable diseases in immigration detention centres, prisons, and jails from 2001 to 2007. Non-governmental organisations and the media are usually not allowed to monitor conditions in prison. Preventive and investigative detention are permitted. Police are provided with human rights training. Caning is allowed as a disciplinary measure for aggravated offences committed by inmates while they are serving their sentences in prison.
Capital and corporal punishment
Malaysia retains both capital punishment
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
(in the form of long-drop hanging) and corporal punishment (in the form of caning on the bare buttocks) for certain criminal offences; the latter is applicable only to male criminals. A 6 December 2010 report by Amnesty International entitled ''A Blow to Humanity'' criticises the practice of judicial caning in Malaysia and concludes the punishment "subjects thousands of people each year to systematic torture and ill-treatment, leaving them with permanent physical and psychological scars". The report describes the process as follows: "In Malaysian prisons specially trained caning officers tear into victims' bodies with a metre-long cane swung with both hands at high speed. The cane rips into the victim’s naked skin, pulps the fatty tissue below, and leaves scars that extend to muscle fibre. The pain is so severe that victims often lose consciousness."
Under sharia law, several dozen offences, such as alcohol consumption, are punishable by sharia-style caning, which is different from judicial caning and is applicable to both male and female Muslims.
Under Malaysian criminal law, the death penalty is mandatory for persons found guilty of possessing illegal drugs above certain quantities; in 2010, 114 people were sentenced to death.
Political controversies
In November 2007, two of the largest political rallies since 1998 took place in Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, sub ...
, challenging the government of Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Abdullah Badawi
Abdullah may refer to:
* Abdullah (name), a list of people with the given name or surname
* Abdullah, Kargı, Turkey, a village
* ''Abdullah'' (film), a 1980 Bollywood film directed by Sanjay Khan
* '' Abdullah: The Final Witness'', a 2015 Pakis ...
. The Bersih rally was held on 10 November and the Hindu Rights Action Force rally on 25 November. The Bersih rally was organised by a number of non-governmental organisations and opposition political parties to demand electoral reform
Electoral reform is a change in electoral systems which alters how public desires are expressed in election results. That can include reforms of:
* Voting systems, such as proportional representation, a two-round system (runoff voting), instant-r ...
in Malaysia and about 50,000 people took to the streets. The rally was attended by at least 10,000 protesters, mainly ethnic Indians, demanding equal social and economic rights from the ''Bumiputra
''Bumiputera'' or ''Bumiputra'' ( Jawi: ) is a term used in Malaysia to describe Malays, the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia, and various indigenous peoples of East Malaysia (see official definition below). The term is sometimes controve ...
s''. Tamil politicians from India such as M. Karunanidhi also came out in support of ethnic Indians in Malaysia by demanding that the Indian government take up their matter with their Malaysian counterparts.
In a letter dated 10 December 2007, the Ministry of Internal Security banned the Malay-language section of the ''Catholic Herald
The ''Catholic Herald'' is a London-based Roman Catholic monthly newspaper and starting December 2014 a magazine, published in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and, formerly, the United States. It reports a total circulation of abo ...
'' due to its use of " Allah" to refer to God in Christianity
God in Christianity is believed to be the eternal, supreme being who created and preserves all things. Christians believe in a monotheistic conception of God, which is both transcendent (wholly independent of, and removed from, the material u ...
. This led to a court case, in which the Federal Court of Malaysia
The Federal Court of Malaysia ( ms, Mahkamah Persekutuan Malaysia) is the highest court and the final appellate court in Malaysia. It is housed in the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya. The court was established during Malaya's independence in 1 ...
ruled that there was no constitutional right for non-Muslims to use the word "Allah".
On 14 May 2014, Prime Minister Najib Razak was quoted as saying that said Islam and its followers are now being tested by new threats under the guise of humanism
Humanism is a philosophy, philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and Agency (philosophy), agency of Human, human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical in ...
, secularism
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on secular, naturalistic considerations.
Secularism is most commonly defined as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state, and may be broadened to a sim ...
, liberalism
Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...
and human rights
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
, although he later reversed his position three days later after coming under criticism.Najib now says committed to human rights, days after denouncing ‘human rights-ism’
NGOs
The Official Portal of Human Rights of Malaysia
SUARAM for human rights
See also
* Ketuanan Melayu
''Ketuanan Melayu'' (Jawi script: كتوانن ملايو; "Malay wikt:overlordship, Overlordship") is a political concept that emphasises Malaysian Malays, Malay preeminence in present-day Malaysia. The Malays of Malaysia have claimed a spe ...
* Censorship in Malaysia
References
External links
Review of Malaysia
by the United Nations Human Rights Council
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), CDH is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. ...
's Universal Periodic Review The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a mechanism of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) that emerged from the 2005 UN reform process.resolution 60/251of 3 April 2006, the UPR periodically examines the human rights performance of al ...
, 11 February 2009
Home for Human Rights
Censorship in Malaysia
– IFEX
case studies relating to human rights violations in Malaysia especially with regard to police abuse and custodial deaths
Malaysia: Human rights undermined: Restrictive laws in a parliamentary democracy
– '' Amnesty International''
2011 Human Rights Report
– US State Department
– US State Department
{{Asia in topic, Human rights in