Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) condemns the arrest and ongoing Sedition Act investigation of Universiti Malaysia Sabah student Abdul Qayyum.
Qayyum was taken from his home at about 19:00 to the Kota Kinabalu Police headquarters for questioning, before being released nearly three hours later.
This arrest reflects longstanding intimidation tactics and weaponisation of repressive laws that continue to be used against those who speak out on matters of public interest.
In this year alone, Qayyum’s case marks at least the third arrest of student activists under the Sedition Act for exercising their constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression – following the cases of Muhamad Fadhil Muhamad Kasim and Aliff Danial Badrul Akmal in the wake of the Gempur Rasuah Sabah 2.0 protest.
This sustained targeting of students demonstrates a worrying trend of criminalising youth voices that are central to holding power accountable.
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These arrests also continue a longstanding pattern seen under previous administrations, where the Sedition Act has been repeatedly abused to stifle dissent – from the late-night arrest of Khalid Ismath in 2019, to the breaking down of Fahmi Reza’s door in 2021, to the arrest of youth activist Sarah Irdina on the eve of the #Lawan protest that same year.
By repeating this repressive playbook, the “Madani” (civil and trustworthy) government is entrenching practices it once promised to reform.
Continued reliance on this archaic law is increasingly indefensible when our courts have made clear that vague and subjective speech offences cannot stand under Article 10(1)(a) of the Federal Constitution.
The Sedition Act’s sweeping notion of “seditious tendency” mirrors the very defects recently struck down – lacking objective standards, inviting arbitrary enforcement, and producing a chilling effect on legitimate expression.
So long as this law remains in force, peaceful criticism on matters of public interest will continue to be criminalised, eroding constitutional freedoms and public trust in democratic institutions.
Suaram demands the immediate withdrawal of the Sedition Act investigation against Qayyum.
Ending this vicious cycle of intimidation requires abolishing the Sedition Act once and for all – to bring Malaysia’s laws into line with its constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression.
Azura Nasron is the executive director of Suaram.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
