PETALING JAYA: Civil society organisations have expressed their opposition towards the proclamation of the Emergency Ordinance 2021 in a street protest near the Parliament building on Sunday (March 14).
Published on: Sunday, March 14, 2021
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The demonstrators walked along Jalan Parliament from Taman Tugu in protest of the latest Emergency Ordinance. (CIJ pic)
PETALING JAYA: Civil society organisations staged a protest today to defend the right to freedom of expression in the wake of the anti-fake news emergency ordinance that came into force last week.
A 15-strong flash mob, representing members of the Freedom of Expression Cluster, a coalition of NGOs with an interest in defending free speech, marched from Taman Tugu along Jalan Parlimen until nearly the entrance to Parliament house.
“We decided to organise today’s event to reclaim our civic space and object to the ‘fake news’ ordinance adopted by the government,” said Wathshlah Naidu, executive director of the Centre for Independent Journalism.
(Bloomberg) Malaysia made use of its emergency powers on Thursday, bypassing parliament to impose new laws on fake news two years after the act was scrapped by the previous government.
Malaysia unveils misinformation law, stoking free speech fears thenews.com.pk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thenews.com.pk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Journalists Body Asks Malaysian Government to Repeal Emergency Laws on Fake News
The new law criminalises fake news related to COVID-19 but media rights groups have said it provides an open scope for prosecution with no clear definition of what constitutes âfake newsâ.
Representative image. Photo: Karnika Kohli/The Wire
World12/Mar/2021
New Delhi: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called on the Malaysian government to repeal the new emergency law that criminalises ‘fake news’ related to COVID-19, saying it provides an open scope for prosecution with no clear definition of what constitutes âfake newsâ.
The IFJ is the world’s largest organisation of journalists and represents 600,000 media professionals from 187 trade unions and associations in more than 140 countries.