6. PRESS STATEMENTS AND PRESS CONFERENCES
This year, SUHAKAM issued 47 press statements addressing various human
rights issues in Malaysia. They touched, among others, on the impact of
COVID-19 on vulnerable groups in Malaysia, racist and xenophobic remarks
regarding migrant workers and refugees during the pandemic, children’s
rights, racist and offensive remarks by members of parliament, SUHAKAM’s
position on the IPCC Bill 2020 and the amendment to the Penal Code to
decriminalise attempted suicide.
SUHAKAM also issued statements to commemorate the relevant
international days observed by the United Nations and to publicise its
events for the year.
Based on SUHAKAM’s observation, the level of coverage depends on the
issues covered in the statements and media editors’ decision. In general,
media coverage for this year was higher for press statements on civil and
political rights, such as the call for the speedy establishment of a Royal
Commission of Inquiry to look into allegations of judicial misconduct, the call
for stiffer penalties for perpetrators of water pollution, and the statement
on the commemoration of the World Press Freedom Day.
Due to the pandemic, SUHAKAM held its press conferences online. On 12
November, SUHAKAM organised a press conference to share its findings on
COVID-19 in detention centres and other issues like deaths in custody.
Later, on 23 November, SUHAKAM released the 2019 Annual Report, which
was tabled in Parliament on 4 November, at a press conference online.
The event saw 92 representatives from the relevant government agencies,
NGOs, embassies and the media. During the event, participants focused
more on the number of complaints received by SUHAKAM’s Sabah Office,
human rights issues relating to the vulnerable communities and places of
detention, and the debate of SUHAKAM’s Annual Report in Parliament.
Conducting online press conferences has proven to be useful in highlighting
pressing human rights issues to the public, especially when physical events
are not possible.
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ANNUAL REPORT 2020