Its chairman Razali Ismail said while 2016 saw some progress in the aspect of human rights protection in the country, there were still violations that needed to be acknowledged and addressed.

These included the abuse of security laws, in particular the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) that was used to suppress freedom of expression and political dissent.

“Individuals should not be arrested and detained for exercising their right to freedom of expression,” said Razali in a statement today.

“Suhakam is particularly concerned that although preventive detention is a rare exception, in practice it may become a rule and be used for purposes other than what it was enacted for.”

The outcry over the abuse of Sosma heightened following the arrest of Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah last month.

The 60-year-old mother of three was detained under Sosma on the eve of the Nov 19 Bersih 5 rally, for alleged involvement in an activity that could be detrimental to parliamentary democracy.

She was released 11 days later.

Razali also criticised the violation of Orang Asli rights, and said that a country’s success was measured by how it treated its most vulnerable.

He added that policies purportedly aimed at the development of the economy or infrastructure had instead affected Orang Asli groups.

“Some of them (Orang Asli) have been violently displaced from their traditional lands without their free, prior and informed consent, without satisfactory provisions for resettlement, and without adequate compensation.

“As a result, they are denied their human rights and their means of livelihood.”

He was referring to the plight faced by the Temiar Orang Asli community who were fighting to protect their land in the Balah forest reserve, Kelantan.

The logging activities which began earlier this year were opposed by the Orang Asli community who set up blockades to prevent loggers from gaining access to logging sites.

The stand off subsequently led to a temporary freeze of logging activities, but earlier this month, state authorities demolished the blockades and arrested the Orang Asli protestors at the Simpang Petir blockade site.