Investigations into human rights activists and government critics, mass raids against undocumented migrants and the pushback of refugee boats contributed to a deterioration of human rights. LGBTI people continued to face discrimination while Indigenous communities remained under threat from logging...

Following considerable political uncertainty and a decline in the human rights situation in the country, Malaysia’s next government must make the respect and protection of human rights a priority, Amnesty International said before nationwide elections this weekend.  “Malaysian authorities must...

Responding to the announcement that Malaysia’s Cabinet has decided to work towards abolishing the mandatory death penalty, Amnesty International Malaysia’s Executive Director Katrina Jorene Maliamauv said:  “We applaud the government’s decision to abolish the mandatory death penalty and to grant...

The resignation of Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin follows months of political turmoil, economic hardship and a dramatic deterioration in human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and assembly, Amnesty International said today. On 16 August 2021, after a tumultuous 17...

More than a year since the first cases of COVID-19 emerged from Wuhan, China, the world remains in the grips of a pandemic that has blindsided governments, caused unimaginable damage to communities, business and everyday life, and infected more than 153,000,000 people worldwide. Even with more than...

Amnesty International Malaysia is aghast at the Malaysian government’s planned efforts with the Myanmar military to deport 1,200 people back to Myanmar on 23 February 2021. Mass deportation exercises carried out with little transparency contravenes Malaysia’s obligations to respect and protect the...

By Sara Vida Coumans, Amnesty International’s Global Youth Manager The COVID-19 pandemic has hit young people hard, disrupting education, putting their jobs at risk and making their futures uncertain. But young people have also been some of the most active in responding to the pandemic and...

Responding to news that 26 Rohingya refugees previously feared drowned off the resort island of Langkawi, Malaysia, have been found alive on the island of Rebak Besar following a search yesterday, Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Amnesty International’s Malaysia Researcher said: “While this story has had a...

Responding to news that a Malaysian court ruled today to set aside the penalty of three strokes of the cane against 27 Rohingya men, Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Amnesty International’s Malaysia Researcher said: “Today’s decision reverses a cruel and inhumane sentence that should never have been handed...

The Malaysian authorities must immediately abandon plans to whip at least 20 Rohingya men who are being punished simply for trying to seek safety. The government should release all other jailed Rohingya refugees – including women and children – who have been unlawfully singled out, convicted and...

Changes in Malaysia’s government must spur, not stall, human rights reforms, including efforts to establish an independent police commission, Amnesty International said today. In a new briefing published today ahead of the July parliament session, the organization is calling on Malaysia to seize...

After hundreds of Rohingya people died at sea in 2015, regional leaders pledged to “learn from past crises” and not repeat the same catastrophic mistakes. But as boats remain stranded yet again, it appears those governments have learned nothing. Last week saw an exception to the rule. One boat,...

Responding to reports that the Malaysian authorities are planning to send 269 Rohingya people back into exile on dangerous open waters after they had landed on the island of Langkawi, Amnesty International’s Researcher on Refugee and Migrant Rights, Anna Shea, said: “It is heinous to think that you...