SILENCING OF CRITICS IN MALAYSIA

That this House is very concerned about the restriction of space for public debate and free speech in Malaysia, after the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Razak lost the popular vote in the 2013 elections and the continuation of a corruption scandal involving the Government-owned 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB); notes more specifically the Malaysian government resorting to criminal laws, including the Sedition Act and abuse of the legal process, to silence critics and quell public discontent, as highlighted in the Human Rights Watch report, Creating a Culture of Fear: The Criminalization of Peaceful Expression in Malaysia; further notes also the case of Zunar, a well-known political cartoonist repeatedly targeted by authorities, charged under the Sedition Act and facing 43 years in prison for tweeting critically about the Malaysian Federal Court decision to uphold the sodomy conviction of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, as well as the case of Maria Chin Abdullah, Chairperson of the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections, charged under the Peaceful Assembly Act, and Malaysian Members of Parliament charged under the Sedition Act; is further concerned about the welfare of Anwar Ibrahim, currently incarcerated following what was widely viewed as a politically motivated prosecution, and being denied access to independent medical treatment; and calls on the Government to ask relevant Malaysian officials, including the Deputy Prime Minister when he visits next week, to amend or repeal laws that impose criminal penalties for speech or assembly, and to drop all current cases.