KUALA LUMPUR (Apr 4): Malaysia's human rights body wants Putrajaya to end immediately the use of the Sedition Act, which has seen scores of opposition leaders, activists, academics and media practitioners being detained under the colonial-era law in recent months.

Expressing serious concern over the spate of arrests, Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) chairman Tan Sri Hasmy Agam said the authorities should desist from such actions, and reconsider the necessity and proportionality of the arrests.

Putrajaya, he said, should repeal the "repressive and undemocratic" legislation, which violated the right to freedom of expression.

"The commission is also appalled at the manner in which these arrests have been made, which appear to be tantamount to harassment and intimidation by the authorities and in breach of the rule of law.

"The commission, therefore, recommends that the government take unwavering steps towards guaranteeing freedom of expression and assembly, including media freedom, in line with the Federal Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948," he said in a statement.

Two senior executives and three editors from The Edge and The Malaysian Insider were arrested earlier this week under the Sedition Act over a report published on March 25, which said the Conference of Rulers had rejected a proposal to amend a federal law that would pave the way for hudud to be enforced in Kelantan.  

The Malaysian Insider managing editor Lionel Morais, Bahasa news editor Amin Iskandar and features and analysis editor Zulkifli Sulong were arrested on Monday evening and released on bail the following night after the magistrate's court rejected the police's application to remand them further for investigation.

The Edge publisher Ho Kay Tat and The Malaysian Insider chief executive Jahabar Sadiq were also arrested on Tuesday and released the next day.

Hasmy said the arrests of members of media to prevent them from performing their legitimate duties were a clear violation of Malaysia’s obligations under international human rights law.

He expressed Suhakam's full support for the rights of all individuals to assemble peacefully, to express their civil and/or political views without fear of arrest or detention, including the responsible exchange of opinions on social media.

He also urged the government to uphold its commitment to these freedoms, and to ensure the effective enjoyment of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in Malaysia.

Putrajaya has been on a sedition blitz against a slew of individuals, including opposition politicians, activists, academics, lawyers, journalists and Muslim preachers who have either been charged with sedition, are facing trial, or under investigation under the law.

It comes at a time when Putrajaya is facing pressure from Umno grassroots and some Malay groups to retain the law, which they say will protect the position of the Malays, Islam and the royals.

Cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, more popularly known as Zunar, was slapped with nine sedition charges yesterday over his tweets on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy conviction.

He claimed trial to the charges and was freed on RM22,500 bail.