PETALING JAYA: The US embassy in Malaysia has published its 2021 Human Rights Report, highlighting several cases of human rights violations and corruption.
Among the issues it addressed were custodial deaths involving security guard S Sivabalan in Gombak, lorry driver Umar Farouq Abdullah in Klang and cow milk trader A Ganapathy in Kuala Lumpur.
The report also addressed the curtailing of freedom of assembly, citing the arrest of 31 activists from Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat (SSR) for hosting a candlelight vigil for those who died of Covid-19 at Dataran Merdeka in August.
It cited another incident in August last year where police barricaded the main route to Parliament to prevent opposition MPs from entering the building after Speaker Azhar Harun suspended a special parliamentary sitting, citing Covid-19 concerns.
The report also highlighted the curtailing of freedom of expression, mentioning the detention of Fahmi Reza for his satire pieces apparently targeting the Queen, and police investigation of activists from SSR for planning protests last year.
On the issue of discrimination against sexual and gender minorities, the report cited the case of cosmetics entrepreneur Nur Sajat who fled to Australia to escape action by the religious authorities for allegedly insulting Islamic teachings.
The report noted the increasing number of cases of rape and domestic violence facing women, as highlighted by rights groups such as the Women’s Aid Organisation.
The embassy took note of several ongoing corruption cases involving politicians such as Najib Razak, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Lim Guan Eng and Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
The report also highlighted the meat cartel scandal, the sentencing of the former menteri besar of Negeri Sembilan Isa Samad to six years’ imprisonment for bribery and corruption, the arrest and release of Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for alleged abuse of power, and the acquittal of former minister Tengku Adnan Mansor from corruption charges. - FMT
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