Launch of SUARAM's Malaysia Human Rights Report Overview 2025

2025 developments and trends examined in this overview suggest constrained and uneven progress in human rights and governance.

Whilst the government swiftly responded to the hunger strike and memorandum submission by family members of detainees under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA) with commitments to amending the procedural law, these remain at the level of review. Notably, the key areas identified for reform – Section 13 on bail and Section 30 on detention pending exhaustion of legal processes – mirror amendment pledges made in 2018 and 2023, with no updates on progress.

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia’s (SUHAKAM) 28-day public inquiry on torture and death in custody at Taiping Prison offered an unprecedented window into prison practices that enable such violations. However, it also reveals institutional defensiveness in addressing these abuses transparently and accountably, with the Prisons Department limiting public access to CCTV recordings and failing to demonstrate swift and credible disciplinary action against the officers involved.

Civic space remains restricted despite significant judicial gains. Whilst the Federal Court decision striking down Section 9(5) of the Peaceful Assembly Act affirms the state’s positive duty to facilitate peaceful assemblies, this duty continues to fall short in practice, in light of incidents of police manhandling at protests and arrests over symbolic acts of civil disobedience and political expression. The Court of Appeal’s ruling in Heidy Quah invalidating “annoy” and “offensive” in Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act was swiftly met with a government move to appeal. Meanwhile, even as the government points to the Malaysian Media Council as evidence of its commitment to media self-regulation, enforcement bodies have continued to pursue punitive action against the press: investigative outlets face criminal probes and defamation suits, while promptly corrected editorial errors by at least four newspapers have drawn criminal and regulatory investigations, including heavy fines.

On institutional oversight and governance, implementation of reforms is uneven. Amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act and the reintroduction of the Parliamentary Service Act signal responsiveness to long-standing demands, yet they sit alongside a procurement law that centralises wide discretionary powers in the Finance Minister. Meanwhile, patronage politics remain integral in Malaysian politics, diluting the government’s rhetorical commitment to combating corruption. From the judiciary’s side, controversies around tenure extensions and delays in judicial appointments underscore interference from within and without, threatening judiciary independence.

Religion, and sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression remain key terrains of control. State Islamic institutions deepen efforts to expand Syariah-based authority and moral policing, targeting alternative spiritual practices and reinforcing an enforcement culture that prioritises doctrinal conformity over individual rights. LGBTQ+ persons face increased arrests and censorship of content, with police, religious bodies and organised campaigns using the language of public morality, health and child protection to justify interventions.

Climate and environmental policy, meanwhile, advances without a coherent rights-based foundation. Climate frameworks lack enforcement mechanisms, while carbon-offset schemes and energy-transition projects move ahead with limited guarantees of free, prior and informed consent, and inadequate protection for Indigenous and local communities. At the same time, environmental human rights defenders remain exposed to Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) and intimidation in the absence of anti-SLAPP protections, despite recognition of the need for these mechanisms in policies such as the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.

In solidarity,

Azura Nasron

Executive Director at SUARAM