Media Quote 8 April 2026  Responding to the arrest and detention of three activists following a peaceful protest calling for the arrest and investigation of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Azam Baki, Amnesty International Malaysia’s Freedom of Expression Campaigner Kiran Kaur said:  “The ongoing detention of three activists over a peaceful protest highlights an alarming pattern of penalizing non-violent expression. Instead of delivering on long-promised reforms such as repealing laws that restrict free speech, the authorities are once again resorting to broad and punitive measures to silence dissent.”   “Peaceful protest is not a crime. Arresting and detaining activists over…

Media Quote27 February 2026  Responding to the recent announcement in Parliament by the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (Religious Affairs), Marhamah Rusdi, that the government has directed that the term “LGBT” be discontinued and replaced with “deviant culture” or “budaya songsang”, Amnesty International Malaysia’s Campaigner, Qistina Johari said:  “We strongly condemn this appalling decision by the government. When public officials label LGBTI people as ‘deviant’, they are not upholding morality—they are legitimizing hate and discrimination against…

Media Quote 3 December 2025 Responding to the government’s announcement of plans to introduce a blanket social media ban for children under 16 years old, Kiran Kaur, Amnesty International Malaysia’s Freedom of Expression Campaigner, said: Background On 23 November 2025, the Malaysian government announced plans to introduce a blanket ban on social media use for…

Media Quote 14 November 2025  Responding to the mass arrests of at least 22 human rights defenders and residents during the demolition operations in Kampung Papan, Amnesty International Malaysia’s Campaigner, Qistina Johari, said:  “Activists should not be dragged into police stations for peacefully protesting the demolition of Kampung Papan residents’ homes. Seeing people who stand up for the rights of others being pinned down, handcuffed and hauled away speaks volumes about the appalling state of the right to protest in Malaysia.”  “The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) has a duty to…

Media Quote7 October 2025 Responding to the arrest of seven individuals for allegedly “seditious” posts on TikTok and Facebook, Amnesty International Malaysia’s Freedom of Expression Campaigner, Kiran Kaur said:   “Seven people have just been arrested for posting online — a stance in stark contradiction of the promises made by the government to protect freedom of…

Joint Press Statement2 October 2025 We, the undersigned organisations, strongly condemn the arrest of two protesters during a spontaneous, peaceful protest held outside the US Embassy at noon today in response to Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla and the detention of hundreds of activists, including 23 Malaysians. As a spontaneous assembly responding to…

Media Quote18 September 2025 Responding to reports that police will summon individuals from University of Malaya Association of New Youth (UMANY) as part of an investigation over a statement calling for the abolition of the national matriculation programme, Amnesty International Malaysia’s Freedom of Expression Campaigner, Kiran Kaur, said:  “Students are supposed to question, debate and…

Joint Statement by Amnesty International Malaysia and ARTICLE 19  20 August 2025  Amnesty International Malaysia and ARTICLE 19 condemn the arrest of Arutchelvan Subramaniam (Arul), Deputy Chairperson of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and a prominent human rights defender, under Section 353 of the Penal Code for allegedly deterring public servants from discharging their duty. His…

Media Quote19 August 2025 Responding to the Court of Appeal’s ruling today in favour of activist Heidy Quah, who challenged Section 233 of the Communications & Multimedia Act (CMA), Amnesty International Malaysia’s Interim Executive Director, Vilasini Vijandran, said:  “This ruling is a huge win for freedom of expression in Malaysia, with the Court of Appeal…

Press Statement 29 July 2025  Amnesty International Malaysia strongly condemns the arrest of activist Chegubard under the Sedition Act, Penal Code, Communications and Multimedia Act, and Minor Offences Act—just a couple of days after he joined the Turun Anwar protest in Kuala Lumpur. The arrest highlights a worrying pattern of authorities using repressive laws to target…

22 July 2025Joint Statement Sekretariat Himpun and the undersigned organisations condemn the obstruction by the police against peaceful protesters outside Parliament today as they submitted memoranda on the amendments to the Peaceful Assembly Act and the repeal of the Sedition Act. The right to peaceful assembly is enshrined under Article 10 of the Federal Constitution.…