KUALA LUMPUR, 28 Apr: Amnesty International (AI) USA urged the President of the United States, Barack Obama, to speak out to the authorities in Malaysia on the issue of human rights violations in this country.
The Director of International Advocacy, T Kumar, also urged Obama to urge Malaysia to demand for the repeal of laws used by the Malaysian authorities to arrest and imprison activists and human rights advocates.
“This includes the Sedition Act, the Official Secrets Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, and the Peaceful Assembly Act.
“President Obama’s visit to Malaysia — the first of a US President in almost 50 years — offers a crucial opportunity to push the authorities on much needed human rights reforms.
“Human rights in Malaysia is getting worse and President Obama must speak out on behalf of the people who are being silenced by the Malaysian government,” he said, quoted from Keadilan Daily.
At the same time, Amnesty International also called on Obama to look at the decision of the Court of Appeal in passing a five-year jail sentence on the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) de facto leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the Defamation II case, which is clearly politically motivated.
“The government (Malaysia) has for years attacked the important voice of the opposition.
“President Obama should tell Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak that enough is enough — Malaysia’s human rights record must improve,” he said.
