KUALA LUMPUR: Human rights group Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) has called on the government to uphold the right to freedom of expression without reservation.
This, Suaram said included refraining from any acts of intimidation, harassment or reprisal against individuals exercising this fundamental freedom.
Its executive director, Sevan Doraisamy, strongly condemned the presence of 10 police officers, two police trucks and several police motorcycles stationed at the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih) headquarters during a press conference advocating for a reform agenda yesterday.
"This is not upholding public order - on the contrary, it is sheer, condemnable intimidation.
"Does this mean that netizens criticising the Pardons Board decision will follow suit by having their posts deleted, social media accounts monitored or even worse, investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998?" he said in a statement today.
Suaram raised concerns about whether the Home Minister or the Prime Minister themselves were aware of the police's surveillance of the press conference, further exacerbating the situation.
Yesterday, Bersih reported on social media that police officers had been spotted outside its office after the press conference.
Sevan claimed that Bersih and Tony Pua were targeted by the government for exercising their legitimate right to freedom of expression.
"These actions demonstrate the state's incapability of accepting constructive criticism, dissent or even discontent.
"They can also perpetuate censorship, which regresses current painstaking efforts by various stakeholders to foster accountability for violations, including those of human rights," he said.
Sevan said the government's actions constitute a triple betrayal: failing to uphold its fight against corruption and justice and violating its duty to protect the basic human rights of all citizens.
"On this note, Suaram unequivocally demands the government fully protect the right to freedom of expression and actively refrain from intimidation, harassment and any form of reprisal against all persons who exercise this fundamental freedom," he said.