I am seriously concerned by these disturbing acts of harassment against a prominent woman human rights defender who is being targeted because of her legitimate human rights activities in Malaysia. I urge the authorities to investigate thoroughly these allegations, hold the perpetrators accountable, and effectively protect Ms. Sreenevasan, and more generally, Bersih members.

Malaysia's recent crackdown on peaceful demonstrators has been a subject of controversy. Two weeks ago, Malaysian opposition leader and former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim [personal profile; JURIST news archive] was charged [JURIST report] with violating the Peaceful Assembly Act [text, PDF] by participating in a large demonstration demanding electoral reforms. In December a UN panel of independent human rights experts warned that the Peaceful Assembly Act would severely curtail [JURIST report] citizens' right to peaceably assemble. In November Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak [official profile] defended the law [JURIST report], saying it would balance citizens' right to protest with public safety concerns. However, it has drawn ire from both Malaysians and the international community. Anwar himself has stated that the bill is more draconian than previous free speech crackdowns in Zimbabwe and Myanmar [JURIST reports].