Suaram: 2017 human rights violations similar to earlier years

Human rights watchdog Suaram states in its annual report that human rights violations last year followed "largely the same trend" as those in the preceding years.

Detention without trial was still a major concern, with 280 cases recorded in 2017, of which 269 involved the use of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).

"It is also noted that the promise for there to be a committee reviewing Sosma by the (then) prime minister during the initial tabling of Sosma has yet to be fulfilled," the report notes.

In its Human Rights Report 2017, Suaram also pointed out that between Jan 1 and Oct 31, 2017, there were 15 cases of custodial death, of which eight occurred in police custody and five in prisons.

During the same period, there were 25 instances of police shootings, 14 of which were fatal. This is down from 54 fatalities the year before.

A new inclusion in the Suaram report is "enforced disappearances" – or state-sanctioned abductions – the most notable cases of which involve pastor Raymond Koh and activist Amri Che Mat.

"The slick manner in which the kidnapping was orchestrated and the subsequent lacklustre response from the police led public suspicion of involvement by state agencies.

"The manner of Koh's abduction was similar to that of Amri Che Mat, who was kidnapped in Kedah by an unidentified group.”

CMA detainees taken to Johor

Suaram noted that 2017 saw a marked reduction in application of the Sedition Act 1948, but the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA) was increasingly used to curb freedom of expression.

Of the 269 recorded applications of the CMA, Suaram noted that many detainees from various states were taken to Johor for the investigations.

"In 47 cases where suspects surrendered themselves in their respective states, they were also brought to Johor for remand process for unspecified reasons,” the report reads.

Fifty books were also banned last year, most of which touched on the subject of religion.

Of these, four titles were in English: Breaking the Silence: Voices of Moderation - Islam in a Constitutional Democracy by G25, Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty by Mustafa Akyol, Tantra: The Search for Ecstasy by Indra Sinha and Drive Me Wild by Christine Warren.

The digital version of Suaram's Human Rights Report 2017 can be accessed here. -Mkini