Political Charges Under Peaceful Assembly Act Violate Basic Rights
(New York) – Malaysian authorities should drop charges against eight activists and opposition politicians for participating in peaceful protests in Kuala Lumpur in February and March 2015, Human Rights Watch said today.
On September 9, authorities filed charges under the Peaceful Assembly Act for their participation in so-called #KitaLawan protests on February 28, March 21, and March 28 in support of jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. The vague and overly broad prohibitions on public protest under the law violate the internationally protected right to peaceful assembly, Human Rights Watch said.
“The Malaysian government seems determined to turn every peaceful protest into an occasion for throwing demonstrators into police lock-ups and charging them with a crime,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities need to stop their headlong rush toward an authoritarian state and drop the charges against all peaceful protesters.” Read more