Calling it part of Malaysia’s “vicious crackdown on dissent”, the organisation today hit out at the “concerning trend” of government prosecutors appealing to courts or requesting a heavier sentence for prosecutions against activists.
“Under the current political climate, critics of government policy and human rights defenders are criminalised, and prevented from carrying out legitimate activities,” it said in a statement.
Amnesty International was referring to a court decision two days ago to fine Lena RM10,000 for airing an uncensored documentary on the Sri Lankan civil war in 2013.
Last month, the court found Lena guilty of the charge under Section 6(1)(b) of the Film Censorship Act for showing “No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka”, a documentary on the Sri Lankan civil war which lasted for 26 years.
Lena committed the offence at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Chamber of Commerce Hall on July 3, 2013.
However, Amnesty International pointed out today that Lena and her lawyers had been in touch with the Sri Lankan High Commission, which had stated in a letter that it no longer took issue with the film.
In fact, following the airing of the documentary, Sri Lankan authorities had vowed to account for the alleged crimes and provide adequate reparations to the victims, the organisation said.
It said Lena’s fine of RM10,000 for screening a human rights documentary was “disproportionate, unduly restricts the human right to freedom of expression, and hampers the right of society to seek and receive information and ideas”.
It noted that the government used a wide range of criminal laws to target human rights activists, such as the Sedition Act 1948, the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, and the Security Offences and Special Measures Act 2012.
Under these laws, it said, authorities had investigated and arrested activists, journalists, lawyers and opposition politicians, all of whom were peacefully exercising their human rights.
“Under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ‘everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers’,” Amnesty International said.