Malaysia’s human rights record criticized again in report to the UN
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Malaysia of violating international standards against discrimination with their words and actions against LGBT people.
HRW submitted a wide-ranging report to the UN on Malaysia’s human rights failures, which included curtailing freedom of peaceful assembly, association and expression – and abuses in the justice system.
Under a ‘Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity’ heading HRW criticized Malaysia for ‘continu[ing] to denigrate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons’, giving the examples of:
- Prime Minister Najib Razak’s assertion that the activists of LGBT people do not ‘have a place in the country’
- The banning of Seksualiti Merdeka (sexual diversity) festival
- Still criminalizing gay sex, describing it as ‘carnal intercourse against the order of nature’ in the legislature, with penalties including whippings and up to 20 years in prison
- Denying transexuals the right to correct their gender on official documents
- Prohibiting cross-dressing
- Nominations for the Aiyoh… Wat Lah?! Awards, which name and shame misogynist, homophobic and transphobic public statements and policy in Malaysia, were announced today.
HRW deputy director (Asia) Phil Robertson said in an interview with Gay Star News last December that the British government should do more to pressure Malaysia to drop colonial-era anti-sodomy laws.
by Anna Leach
Source – Gay Star News
