In response to today’s government raid on the offices of Malaysian media outlet Malaysiakini, Josef Benedict, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for South East Asia and the Pacific, said:
“This unwarranted attack is an insult to freedom of expression and the latest example of the Malaysian government’s worsening crackdown on independent media in the country.
“This is pure intimidation and harassment of journalists who have been targeted solely for peacefully doing their work, which is to report the news. It is no coincidence that this is news the Malaysian authorities would rather suppress.”
The prominent news website is being investigated for “improper network use” under the Communications and Multimedia Act, two months after it uploaded a clip of a press conference in which Malaysia’s Attorney-General was accused of incompetence and corruption by a member of the ruling party.