Oct 2, 2012

Malaysia slips in global rankings of internet freedom

Malaysia’s internet freedom has worsened in a Freedom House study of 47 countries in the latest Freedom on the Net 2012: A Global Assessment of Internet and Digital Media. In the report released on 24 Sept, 2012, Malaysia was identified as one of the countries at risk of further decline due to new restrictive laws such as recent amendments to the Evidence Act, and the prevalence of acts such as cyber attacks on prominent news websites and Opposition-linked sites, and the arrest of bloggers.

Sep 28, 2012

Open letter to PM, Penang CM, Selangor MB in conjunction with Right to Know Day

On the occasion of the global celebration of International Right to Know Day, on 28 September, we, the undersigned organisations, would like to highlight that access to information is a crucial part of an enabling environment in which the public and civil society organisations can participate in decision-making, and the media can report in the public interest and scrutinise wrongdoing and corruption in the public sector. It is, as a result, a key part of a sound development program, as well as being a human right.

Sep 25, 2012

NST must retract one-sided and highly irresponsible news report

We, the undersigned civil society organisations in Malaysia, deplore the one-sided and highly irresponsible New Straits Times (NST) front cover story on 21 September 2012 which alleged two global funders and nine organisations which received grants from them are part of a “plot to destabilize the government”.

Mar 2, 2012

M’sian, Egyptian groups want UN to hold their gov’ts accountable for Hamza Kashgari’s deportation

The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) denounce in the strongest terms the Malaysian and Saudi authorities’ blatant disregard for due process and international norms in the secret rendition of Saudi journalist Hamza Kashgari. Kashgari, wanted by the Saudi authorities for tweets which allegedly insulted Islam and Prophet Muhammad, was deported by the Malaysian authorities on 12 February 2012.

Apr 19, 2011

Freedom House study finds mounting threats to Internet freedom

Cyberattacks, politically motivated censorship, and government control over internet infrastructure are among the diverse and growing threats to internet freedom, according to Freedom on the Net 2011: A Global Assessment of Internet and Digital Media,a new study released today by Freedom House.

Evidence Act Section114a FAQs

Jun 13, 2012

An Amendment to the Evidence Act has recently been passed through parliament. Curious to know more?

Fweet for press freedom!

May 2, 2011

On World Press Freedom Day, show your support and make your voices heard in a Fweet (Facebook and Twitter!) in 3 steps.

Personal data = private property or the new commodity?

Feb 9, 2011

In conjunction with Data Privacy Day on 28 Jan 2011, we held a public forum to raise awareness of the increasing threat to privacy with regard to personal information, and the lack of protection in Malaysia although Parliament recently passed the Data Protection Act. Funnily enough, the day after the forum, reportedly 1.5 million Malaysians received a surprise text message or e-greeting from the prime minister, underscoring one of the conclusions in our forum – how the collusion between business and State undermines the power of the individual to protect their data.

What’s good – and scary – that’s revealed from the WikiLeaks saga

Jan 5, 2011

No, it’s not about whether Anwar Ibrahim was really guilty of sodomy, or that Singaporean officials think the Altantuya murder continues to haunt our prime minister’s tenure. The really relevant issues raised by WikiLeaks that needed to be discussed are media freedom, freedom of speech, access to information, privacy and security, all of which CIJ’s forum sought to address, especially in the Malaysian context. Documented here – in both condensed and full reports – FYI.