AS we head into the 13th general election since independence, it is time to review Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s human rights record. Many bold promises have been made since he took office in April 2009. Have they come to pass? Or have we gone two steps forward and two steps back and remained in the same place?

Malaysia will be more open and democratic with “revolutionary” new laws that will herald a “new era”, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Really? Has Najib made good on his promises? We take a look at the prime minister’s legacy of legal reforms since Malaysia Day 2011.

WHY is the government charging someone for writing a satirical piece? On 2 Sep 2010, Irwan Abdul Rahman, a Malay Mail executive editor was charged over a blog posting entitled “TNB to sue WWF over earth hour.” Irwan’s posting on his website Nose4news was below a huge banner with the words “The truth is out [...]

“The Malaysian government appears to be more interested in pursuing short-term political advantage rather than safeguarding rights,” says Human Rights Watch (HRW) deputy Asia director Phil Robertson. But the government begs to differ…

KUALA LUMPUR, 25 Aug 2009: The High Court (Appelate and Special Powers Division) here today allowed an application by Sisters in Islam (SIS) for a judicial review of a book which the government banned. Judicial Commissioner Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof made the order after listening to arguments by senior federal counsel Noor Hishamuddin Ismail who [...]

Updated 3.20pm on 30 June 2009 The following is an excerpt of a public lecture by Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan titled Democracy, Law and Human Rights in an Era of Globalisation that was delivered on 23 June 2009 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Chevening Scholarship Programme THE Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim prosecution is seen [...]