KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 — Human rights group Amnesty International Malaysia today expressed shock at the sedition probe against lawyer Fadiah Nadwa Fikri over an article she had written about the monarchy.
In a statement, Amnesty reminded the current Pakatan Harapan (PH) government of its electoral promises that it won’t target individuals who express their views peacefully and would repeal the colonial era Sedition Act.
“This is the first case of an activist being called for investigation under the Sedition Act and the Communications and Multimedia Act since the Pakatan Harapan government took office for the peaceful expression of their views,” Amnesty interim executive director Gwen Lee said in a statement today.
The group also urged Putrajaya to halt all investigations under both the Sedition Act and the Communications and Multimedia Act until both the laws are reviewed in the Parliament, which convenes next week.
“We also renew our call to the Malaysian government to repeal the 1948 Sedition Act, and repeal or amend other laws which arbitrarily restrict the right to freedom of expression, including the Communications and Multimedia Act and the Printing Press and Publications Act, to ensure that they are in line with international human rights law and standards,” Lee said.
It also urged Malaysia to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other human rights treaties, in line with the announcement by Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah recently.
Fadiah has been called in for questioning by the police under the Sedition Act and the Communications and Multimedia Act at 4pm today.
