[huridocs-tech] Malaysia: End intimidation of news website

(New York, October 8, 2003)-The Malaysian government should drop its case
against the news website Malaysiakini, Human Rights Watch said today. On
October 6, the government announced that it had forwarded its nine-month-
long investigation to the attorney general for a decision on whether to
prosecute.

The government began investigating the popular online news outlet for
posting a letter to the editor on January 9 that criticized government
policies favoring ethnic Malays.

"Malaysiakini is one of the few independent media voices in Malaysia,"
said Brad Adams, executive director of the Asia Division of Human Rights
Watch. "The government has been investigating Malaysiakini for almost ten
months for simply posting a political letter. It's time to close the case
and move on."

An official of the United Malay National Organization (UMNO), the party
that dominates Malaysia's ruling coalition, called the letter "seditious"
and claimed that Malaysiakini's decision to publish it was "very dangerous
to the harmony of this country." Another UMNO official called for
prosecution of the website's publishers under Malaysia's Sedition Act in
order to "teach them a lesson."

The police raided Malaysiakini's offices on January 20 and confiscated 15
computers and four servers. The police have returned most of the
equipment, but still hold two computers for possible use in court as
evidence.

The Malaysian government has frequently stated that it will not censor the
Internet, in part to attract international investment to its high-
technology sector. In 1996, Malaysia introduced the Multimedia Super
Corridor Bill of Guarantee, which stated that the government would "ensure
no Internet censorship."

Malaysiakini began operating in November 1999, and has since become one of
the leading independent Internet news outlets in Malaysia. It is one of a
handful of print and online publications that offer an alternative view to
Malaysia's largely pro-government mainstream media, much of which is owned
by large corporations affiliated with UMNO. Because Malaysiakini is
available only online and not in print form, it is not subject to many of
the onerous licensing requirements that print publications must follow.

"This controversy is not just about the staff of Malaysiakini," said
Adams. "It's about the right of all Malaysians to receive news and opinion
unfiltered by the government. Malaysiakini has been singled out precisely
because it does what many other news sources in Malaysia don't do: it
criticizes all sides, including the government. It shouldn't be
investigated or punished for doing so."

Media freedom is a particularly sensitive issue in Malaysia as the country
gears up for national elections, which may be called as early next year.
During Malaysia's hard-fought 1999 elections, opposition parties-some
running for the first time-complained that they could not get a fair
hearing because of the media's heavy bias in favor of the UMNO.

Human Rights Watch Press release



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