The
Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the Malaysian government ignored
"gross abuses of power by the police and other law enforcement
agencies", said FORUM-ASIA and other civil society organisations on 12
June 2009, at the 11th Session of the UN Human Rights Council.
The
Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the Malaysian government ignored
"gross abuses of power by the police and other law enforcement
agencies", said FORUM-ASIA and other civil society organisations on 12
June 2009, at the 11th Session of the UN Human Rights Council:
Malaysia's
general lack of recognition of international norms and standards in
relation to policing has resulted in gross abuses of power by the
police and other law enforcement agencies with impunity. Official
government statistics disclose 1,535 deaths in prisons, rehabilitation
and immigration detention centres between 2003 and 2007. 85 cases of
deaths in police custody were recorded in the same period. Substantial
recommendations, including those by the Royal Police Commission and the
Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) have not been implemented
by the Government. The proposed Enforcement Agencies Integrity
Commission (EAIC) will only be a referral body with no enforcement
powers and will cover 21 law enforcement agencies, instead of
concentrating on the police force, in which human rights violations are
most rampant. We urge the Government to immediately establish the
Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) and
conduct inquests within one month of each death in custody.
To read the complete statement, please click here (.pdf).
This statement was followed by another, on behalf of a detainee under the Internal Security Act (ISA) of Malaysia:
My
name is Norlaila Othman. I am a Malaysian. I speak on behalf of my
husband, Mat Sah Bin Mohd Satray, who has been detained by the
Malaysian government under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for more
than 7 years. Under the ISA, the government can detain persons without
even the most basic of due process rights. The ISA is extremely broadly
worded and allows for indefinite detention without trial. He was
detained in April 2002 and is now occupying a cell at Kamunting
Detention Camp, deprived of his liberty. He has never been charged and
has not had the possibility of a fair and public hearing by an
independent and impartial tribunal.
To read the complete statement, please click here (.pdf).
A
member of the High Court of Malaya also delivered a statement, raising
three concerns: refugees, freedom of religion, and freedom of
_expression and freedom of assembly. To read his statement, please click here (.pdf).
The
Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a process that involves a review of
the human rights records of all UN Member States once every four years.
It is a state-driven process, under the support of the Human Rights
Council. The council gives the opportunity for each state to declare
the actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in
their countries and to fulfil their human rights obligations.
Also related:
16 February 2009 – MALAYSIA: Government's UPR report is "superficial, patchy and cursory", NGOs say
