By Tara Thean

KUALA LUMPUR: Freedom of expression in Malaysia has reached a new low, with government control through advisories and directives as a way of keeping the media in check.

SUARAM documentation and monitoring coordinator John Liu said at the launch of the organisations Human Rights Report for 2007 that Malaysia ranked only at 124 on the Reporters Sans Frontiers global index.

“Media control has long been exerted by the government through “advisories” and directives,” he said, referring to cases such as theSun, and the suspension of Makkal Osai twice in the year, once for publishing the picture of Jesus with a beer can and a cigarette and another time over unclear reasons.

Liu also referred to the confiscation of ten “May 13” books published by SUARAM and the banning of 85 book titles in 2007.

Liu also talked about the grave situation of freedom of information in Malaysia, attributing it mostly to repressive and restrictive laws such as the Official Secrets Act (OSA) and the lack of a whistleblowers’ protection law. He cited the case of blogger Nathaniel Tan, who was arrested and detained for allegedly posting documents involving Deputy Internal Security Minister Johari Baharum on his personal blog.

During the launch, SUARAM executive director Yap Swee Seng asserted the importance of the systematic documentation of the trends of human rights violations.

“It is important to have this information and these statistics so that we can see, over the years, if our human rights situation has progressed or regressed,” Yap said.

When asked about his take on the current progress of the human rights situation in Malaysia, Yap said the trend has gone “from bad to worse”.

He pointed out that while more people were participating in public assemblies and asserting their rights, they were still faced strong government oppression – a case in point being the BERSIH rally for free and fair elections in 2007 during which the police sprayed tear gas at peaceful demonstrators.

“This situation is really unprecedented,” said Yap. “We have never seen this done in the past.”

The SUARAM Human Rights Report documents important and historical moments over the year 2007 in the struggle for democracy and human rights in Malaysia.

The report will be circulated to all Malaysian NGOs as well as international and regional human rights organizations, in addition to serving as a reference point for embassies and foreign consulates.

The report covers ten human rights issues: detention without trial, abuse of police powers, freedom of expression, freedom of information, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, law and the judiciary, refugees and asylum seekers, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, and free and fair elections.

SUARAM has dedicated the report to the late Zaitun Kasim, a human rights defender and SUARAM secretariat member who passed away on the on 4 June this year from duodenal cancer.