By Robin Augustin (FMT)
| May 20, 2016
Reporting a decline in freedoms such as freedom of
expression and religion, Comango urges government to honour its commitment to
the UN’s recommendations.
PETALING JAYA: The Coalition of Malaysian NGOs (Comango) is
concerned with the regression of human rights in the nation.
At a press conference on its midterm Universal Periodic
Review (UPR) process report, the group, made up of 54 NGOs, revealed its
assessment of 60 measurable recommendations out of the 113 recommendations
accepted by Malaysia in 2014.
The UPR report details United Nations member state’s
performance in relation to the implementation of human rights recommendations
it has accepted based on recommendations of other countries.
In its midterm report, Comango revealed that only 20% of the
60 recommendations had been fully implemented, while 57% of the recommendations
have seen a regressing situation.
Areas which have seen a regression are freedom of
expression, freedom of assembly and association, freedom of religion, elections
and migrant workers among others.
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) Executive Director Sevan
Doraisamy highlighted the increased use of the Sedition Act 1948 for political
reasons as one of the examples in which freedom of expression had regressed.
“Additionally amendments to laws such as the Communication
and Multimedia Act 1998 may stifle freedoms.”
In the case of freedom of assembly and association, Sevan
said the government had not taken steps to raise standards of press freedom,
and that press freedom had been affected by the blocking of websites.
On the issue of women’s rights, Women’s Aid Organisation
Advocacy Officer Lainey Lau said that while progress was being made, the
government was still too slow to develop or amend laws to protect women.
This, she said, included a law against marital rape, which
countries such as China, Hong Kong, Lesotho and Albania already had.
Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Semenanjung Malaysia (JKOASM)
activist, Rizuan Tempek, meanwhile, lamented the negligible protection of
indigenous peoples’ land rights, with land grabs and encroachment cases still
being reported.
Comango said it was not too late for the government to
honour its commitments in relation to the recommendations it accepted and urged
the government to do so, as well as work with civil society groups in the process.
The group also urged the government to translate its
obligatory five year report into Bahasa Malaysia and disseminate it to the
public.
Every five years, UN member states are required to submit
their UPR report, while non-governmental organisations and rights groups are
encouraged to submit shadow reports.
Governments are not required to submit mid-term assessments.
Also at the press conference were representatives from
Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (Empower),Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat (
Komas ) and The Society for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham).
Source:
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2016/05/20/ngos-concerned-over-regressing-human-rights/
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