Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ)

Civil society groups belonging to the Freedom of Expression Cluster said the Legal Defence Fund was launched in response to the worsening attacks on journalists, human rights defenders, and activists in 2020.

The Centre for Independent Journalism said former prime minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad should apologize for posting online comments that “glorified violence and pushed out hate speech and misogynistic messages.”

Instead of using repressive laws to silence critics, the Centre for Independent Journalism urged the Malaysian government to “create an enabling environment that promotes critical thinking, healthy debates, transparency and accountability from the State.”

The Centre for Independent Journalism criticized the statement of the Parliament restricting the media outlets which can cover its proceedings. The list of accredited media also excludes online news portals that operate exclusively online.

The Centre for Independent Journalism urged the government to drop all investigations and stop all acts of intimidation and adverse actions against these media outlets.

Groups expressed alarm after Malaysian authorities initiated a probe against Al Jazeera which released a documentary on Malaysia’s treatment of undocumented migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A growing number of journalists, bloggers, activists, lawyers, and other critics of the state have been charged or investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act.

Malaysian civil society groups reminded authorities to stop making threats against the media after the National Security Council directed the police and concerned agencies to take ‘stern action’ against online news outlets that misreport government statements on COVID-19.