ARTICLE 19

ARTICLE 19 issued a legal analysis of Malaysian Emergency (Essential Powers) (No. 2) Ordinance 2021 and warned that the Ordinance could prevent any criticism of the government’s COVID-19 response.

With a heinous record of human rights violations, the victory of Iran’s judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi in a flawed presidential election demonstrates Iran’s unabated endemic impunity, says ARTICLE 19.

ARTICLE 19 said the proposed new regulations would add to a number of existing mechanisms to monitor and punish vaguely defined ‘fake news’.

IFEX joins rights groups in calling for the lawsuit against Yaman Akdeniz to be dropped. It was launched because of his tweets about the censorship of reports into criminal investigations and civil lawsuits against journalists who reported on the Paradise Papers.

The authorities’ actions are reinforcing the already widespread atmosphere of self-censorship, preventing participation in governance and public affairs, and extinguishing an important safeguard for government accountability.

Vietnam authorities have harassed and detained several independent candidates ahead of the National Assembly election. These candidates have used social media to announce their candidacy and share their thoughts on the country’s political situation.

The extent to which there is a growing trend of intolerance to speech at universities is unclear. On campuses, freedom of expression issues are best dealt with by existing legislation and by the universities and Student Unions themselves.

Since the start of 2021, at least seven people have been tried and sentenced under Article 117, which criminalises ‘making, storing, distributing or disseminating information, documents and items against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam’.