Malaysia
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has largely failed to uphold his campaign pledges to address repression and corruption since taking office in November 2022. Authorities continue to use broad and vaguely worded laws to criminalize free speech. Officials have targeted refugees and migrants as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people with hateful rhetoric and crackdowns. The government’s abolition of the mandatory death penalty in 2023 was a significant step, although capital punishment remains a sentencing option. Indigenous communities continue to be displaced by business activities carried out without adequate consultation or compensation.
- Economic Justice and Rights
Rampant Labor Abuses Against Bangladeshi Migrant Workers in MalaysiaNovember 26, 2025
Dispatches
Deputy Asia Director
Videos
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Reports
More reports- May 4, 2025 Report
Facing the Bulldozers
Iban Indigenous Resistance to the Timber Industry in Sarawak, Malaysia
- August 10, 2022 Report
“I Don’t Want to Change Myself”
Anti-LGBT Conversion Practices, Discrimination, and Violence in Malaysia
- April 4, 2019 Report
Egypt: Deported Dissidents Missing
Malaysia, Turkey Should Investigate Unlawful Deportations
News
- October 22, 2025 News Release
Malaysia: Abducted Refugee Detained in Myanmar
Seek Release, Reopen Investigation into Thuzar Maung Family’s Abduction
- October 17, 2025 Letter
Open Letter on the Myanmar Crisis
To States Attending the 2025 ASEAN Summit, ASEAN Partners Summit, and East Asia Summit
- May 4, 2025 News Release
Malaysia: Wood Products Tainted by Abuse, Deforestation
Government, Importers Should Protect Indigenous Rights in Sarawak
- March 25, 2025 Commentary
Regulate timber plantations to protect land rights
- March 17, 2025 News Release
Malaysia: New Business Plan Should Be Enforceable
Ensure Rights Protections for Indigenous Peoples
- January 16, 2025 News Release
Malaysia: Rights Backslide Under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
Reform Promises Abandoned; Censorship Powers Expand
- December 19, 2024 Commentary
ASEAN Needs to Rethink Its Myanmar Strategy
An overhaul in ASEAN’s approach to Myanmar is clearly needed, but tilting toward the junta is the exact wrong direction.
- October 4, 2024 Dispatches
Malaysia Deports Cambodian Worker for Critical Comments
Migrant Repatriated after Facebook Post on Former Prime Minister Hun Sen
- September 23, 2024 News Release
EU: Address Indigenous Rights Violations in Malaysian Imports
Designate Sarawak as ‘High Risk’ Under New Anti-Deforestation Law
- September 17, 2024 Dispatches
EU Anti-Deforestation Talks Shouldn’t Sideline Frontline Communities
Environmental Groups, Indigenous Communities Provide Critical Input
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