HUMAN RIGHTS CREATING A CULTURE OF FEAR The Criminalization of Peaceful Expression in Malaysia WATCH Creating a Culture of Fear The Criminalization of Peaceful Expression in Malaysia Copyright © 2015 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-6231-32859 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people worldwide. We scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely, and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. 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For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org OCTOBER 2015 978-1-6231-32859 Creating a Culture of Fear The Criminalization of Peaceful Expression in Malaysia Map of Malaysia ............................................................................................................... i Glossary of Common Terms and Acronyms ....................................................................... ii Summary ......................................................................................................................... 1 Overly Restrictive Laws as a Tool for Repression ........................................................................ 3 Targeting the Political Opposition ............................................................................................. 5 Targeting Civil Society .............................................................................................................. 6 Targeting the Media .................................................................................................................. 7 Targeting Social Media Users ................................................................................................... 8 Restrictions on Freedom of Assembly ....................................................................................... 9 Abusive Police Tactics and Selective Prosecution .................................................................... 10 Key Recommendations ................................................................................................... 12 To the Prime Minister and the Government of Malaysia ........................................................... 12 Methodology ................................................................................................................. 14 I. Background ................................................................................................................ 15 II. International and Domestic Legal Standards .............................................................. 20 The Malaysian Constitution..................................................................................................... 23 III. The Criminalization of Peaceful Expression ............................................................... 24 Sedition Act of 1948 and Amendments .................................................................................... 24 Sections 504 and 505(b) of the Penal Code: Offenses Against Public Tranquility ...................... 54 Section 505(c) of the Penal Code: Hate Speech ....................................................................... 58 Penal Code Sections 499-502: Criminal Defamation ............................................................... 60 Printing Presses and Publications Act of 1984 (Amended 1988 and 2012) ................................ 65 Communications and Multimedia Act of 1998 (Amended 2006) ............................................... 74 Penal Code Section 124B-124N: Activity Detrimental to Parliamentary Democracy ................... 80 The Film Censorship Act ......................................................................................................... 84 The Peaceful Assembly Act of 2012 ......................................................................................... 87 Others Laws Used to Limit Freedom of Assembly ..................................................................... 93 IV. Abusive Police Tactics and Selective Prosecution ......................................................98 V. Profiles of Critics Targeted by the Government ......................................................... 105 Forbidding Cartoons: The Targeting of Zunar ......................................................................... 105 Wearing Down the Opposition: The Targeting of Rafizi Ramli ................................................... 111 VI. Other Laws that Restrict Freedom of Expression ....................................................... 115 The Official Secrets Act of 1972 (amended 1986) .................................................................... 115 Penal Code Section 203a: Disclosure of Information ............................................................. 118 Evidence (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2012 ............................................................................... 119 Penal Code Section 503: Criminal Intimidation ...................................................................... 121 Penal Code Sections 298 and 509: Offensive Speech ............................................................ 122 Penal Code Sections 124G and 124I ...................................................................................... 123 VII. Recommendations ................................................................................................. 126 To the Government of Malaysia ............................................................................................. 126 To the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of the Government of Malaysia ................................... 126 To The Minister of Home Affairs ............................................................................................. 130 To the Attorney-General’s Chambers ..................................................................................... 132 To the Inspector General of Police ......................................................................................... 132 To the Malaysian Multimedia and Communications Commission ........................................... 133 To the Minister of Foreign Affairs ........................................................................................... 134 To SUHAKAM (Human Rights Commission of Malaysia) .......................................................... 134 To the UN Country Team and UN Resident Coordinator .......................................................... 135 To the United States, Japan, European Union Member States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, and the Republic of Korea ........................................................................................... 136 Appendix I: Letter to the Malaysian Government .......................................................... 137 Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................... 143 Map of Malaysia I HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | OCTOBER 2015 Glossary of Common Terms and Acronyms 1MDB 1 Malaysia Development Berhad Bersih Coalition for Free and Fair Elections BN Barisan Nasional, or National Front CMA Communications and Multimedia Act DAP Democratic Action Party EO Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) Ordinance GST Goods and Services Tax ICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights IGP Inspector General of Police ISA International Security Act JAKIM Malaysian Islamic Development Department MCMC Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission MP Member of Parliament OHCHR Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights OSA Official Secrets Act PAS Parti Islam Se Malaysia, or the Pan Malaysian Islamic Party PAA Peaceful Assembly Act PKR Parti Keadilan Rakyat, or the People’s Justice Party PPPA Printing Presses and Publications Act PTA Prevention of Terrorism Act PSM Party Sosialis Malaysia, or the Socialist Party of Malaysia PSRM Party Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia RM Malaysian Ringgit RPDM Polis Diraja Malaysia, or the Royal Malaysia Police Suaram Suara Rakyat Malaysia SUHAKAM Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia, or the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia TMI The Malaysian Insider UDHR Universal Declaration of Human Rights UMNO United Malays National Organization “CREATING A CULTURE OF FEAR” II Summary They are creating a culture of fear. If you engage in any talk of public interest, the police may come to your house, you may be arrested, taken to the police station, remanded. Even members of Parliament are treated that way. —Yap Swee Seng, former executive director of Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram), Kuala Lumpur, April 14, 2015 Freedom of expression and assembly in Malaysia are currently under attack, aided by the existence of broad and vaguely worded laws that the government can wield to arrest, investigate, and imprison its critics. The recent increase in use of laws that criminalize peaceful expression is a step backward for a country that had seemed to be making progress on the protection of rights. This report examines how the Malaysian government is using and abusing such laws, and the ways in