PETALING JAYA, Dec 19 ― Civil rights groups Amnesty International and Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) have today accused the police of continuous intimidation against Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, amid investigations against her remarks made in a July forum.

Amnesty International executive director Shamini Darshini said the forum, part of the “A People’s History of the Malayan Emergency”, was an academic discourse and the continued harassment Fadiah received from the authorities was a cause of concern.

“There should not be attacks on discourse whether political or academic but instead such discourses should be encouraged.

“That is what freedom of expression is, it is a place for debates to happen,” she said during a press conference at Suaram’s headquarters here.

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Showing her support for Fadiah, Shamini said the space for discourse should have been protected and safe in the first place.

“A People’s History of the Malayan Emergency” was a two-day event co-organised by several civil societies, including Imagined Malaysia, Pusat Sejarah Rakyat, Malaysia Muda, Projek Dialog, Students in Resistance, and Gerakbudaya Bookstore.

In July, Fadiah said the forum was hijacked by those throwing racial provocations and the bogeyman of communism.

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The forum on the Malayan Emergency became heated when several members of the audience questioned if the event and panellists were trying to justify atrocities committed during the Malayan Emergency.

Fadiah said she had shared two main topics in the forum: the leftist nationalist movement involving Angkatan Pemuda Insaf (API) led by Ahmad Boestamam, and the history of the People’s Constitution that goes against the British divide-and-conquer policy allegedly supported by Umno.

Suaram project coordinator Mohammad Alshatri said the group viewed Fadiah’s questioning as a form of intimidation by the police.

“With the change of government, there should be more freedom for Malaysians to express and promote opinions in an open space without worrying about any form of intimidation from any parties,” he said.

He also called on the police to investigate thoroughly and not be selective in interrogating an individual, citing the example of Fadiah’s case.

“When there is a form of intimidation from external parties, they should not just target the individual who make remarks in the forum,” he said.

Mohammad said Suaram would propose a protection mechanism to the government to better protect civil rights activists as the previous administration lacked such a mechanism.

Meanwhile Fadiah said this was the second time she was questioned by police investigators after a report was lodged against her by an Islamist group in July.

It is understood that the group was one “Gerakan Muslimah Islam Malaysia”.

She was earlier questioned by two police officers for almost half an hour at Suaram’s headquarters here.

Fadiah disclosed that she was being investigated under Section 504 of the Penal Code for intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act for improper use of network facilities or network service.

“Without a doubt this is beyond harassment and intimidation as it is wearing me out and stopping me from doing my work.

“I want the home minister to answer why is the ministry emboldening this culture of harassment,” she said.

Fadiah said as long as she lived, she would continue to do what she has always been doing despite being fearful of her life.

“The fear is there because I am a human, and some people have been threatening me on social media but I think my responsibility is bigger than my fear so I would have to overcome it,” she said.