UK urged to intervene in ‘crackdown’

Suaram urges the UK to put pressure on the Malaysian government to cease clamping down on detractors and human rights activists

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s former colonial master and commonwealth friend United Kingdom has been urged to intervene in Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s string of “human rights crackdown” recently.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister David Cameron, Suaram said the Malaysian government has violated human rights principles by arresting and charging several opposition figures and activists under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) or Sedition Act.

Suaram said the charging of PKR communications director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and six other opposition figures under the PAA for failing to give a 10-day notice to the police prior to the Blackout 505 rallies as a crackdown on “peaceful rallies”.

It also said the authorities were clamping down on freedom of expression as they meted out sedition charges against student Adam Adli, Safwan Anang, PKR vice president Tian Chua, activist Harris Ibrahim, Hishammudin Rais and PAS member Tamrin Ghafar.

The charges were in relations to the speeches the activists and opposition figures made at a May 13 forum where they had called on the people to protest the results of the 13th general election.

Given the UK government’s leadership position as a democracy advocate and a member of United Nations’ Security Council, Suaram said the country should pressure Najib to respect human rights.

“This is in particular to abolish the Sedition Act 1948 and drop all charges against Adam Adli, Chua Tian Chang, Haris Ibrahim, Tamrin Chafar, Safwan Anang and Hishammudin Rais,” it said in the letter to Cameron.

Suaram also wants the UK government to pressure the Najib administration to:

• Abolish the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 and drop all charges against Nik Nazmi and the other six individuals alleged to have violated the Act;

• To immediately cease invoking repressive legislations to suppress legitimate dissent in relation to Malaysia’s recent elections.

• To allow the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association, Maina Kiai and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion Mr Frank La Rue to conduct missions to Malaysia as soon as possible.

The letter was signed by Suaram spokesperson Yolanda Augustin.

This is the second call for international intervention after thousands of Malaysians flooded a White House’s online petition site to complain about electoral frauds soon after the GE 13 results were announced.