Watchdog Warns Rights Abuse From Military Immunity Under Malaysia's COVID-19 Emergency Law

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2021) Malaysia should revise its recently adopted COVID-19 emergency law, which grants the military policing powers and immunity and suspends the electoral process, to prevent violation of human rights, a prominent international rights organization said on Thursday.

Announced on January 14, Malaysia's new Emergency Ordinance retrospectively took effect on January 11. It has no end date and is designed to support the national response to the pandemic.

"Malaysia's recently announced Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance is overly broad and should urgently be revised to meet international human rights standards," Human Rights Watch said in a press release.

The Malaysian constitution requires that elections be held every five years, and the next vote is scheduled for 2024. Because the emergency ordinance suspends all elections for as long as an emergency lasts, the watchdog fears that the Malaysian government has eyed some lengthy delays to the electoral process.

"The ordinance also allows the government to seize private property or to demand to use resources deemed necessary in the fight against Covid-19, and precludes those affected from challenging the amount of compensation provided, if any.

Those who fail to comply with orders relating to their property face a fine of up to RM 5 million (US$1.2 million) or imprisonment for up to 10 years," the press release read.

The watchdog said that the Malaysian government put in place every provision to crack down on dissent and non-compliance, both on the internet and physically.

The Malaysian military was given rights of police officers and immunity from persecution for actions carried out under the ordinance. While the declared purpose of this was to control movement restrictions and undocumented migration, HRW deputy director for Asia, Phil Robertson, argued that this was "magnifying the risk of unchecked rights abuses."

Citing the Malaysian Multimedia and Communication Commission's public warning that it would monitor social media for "misinformation and content that is offensive to race, religion and the royalty," the watchdog signaled alarm over the abuse of the emergency ordinance to infringe on freedom of expression.