delay of the release of SUHAKAM’s Annual Reports

[Joint Statement] Malaysia: The government and SUHAKAM must explain the delay of the release of SUHAKAM’s Annual Reports (Bangkok/Kuala Lumpur, 20 June 2022) – We, the undersigned organisations, demand clarity on the supposed delay of the release of 2020 and 2021 Annual Reports of Malaysia’s national human rights institution (NHRI), Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia Malaysia (SUHAKAM). [...] The government of Malaysia should also be held accountable for the delay of the release of the reports as it ought to be assisting SUHAKAM in offering time and space for the report to be tabled and subsequently debated in the Parliament. [...] The law minister defended the government’s move to not table a parliamentary motion to debate the report by saying there was insufficient time in the Parliament and that the content of the report is not a prioritised government affair.4 The situation has only taken a turn for the worse since then, where the 2021 and 2022 Annual Reports are not even tabled in the Parliament and therefore remain emb. [...] The consistent publication of the Annual Report is one of the major key indicators of the performance of a NHRI in protecting and promoting human rights in the country. [...] We, therefore, urge the Government of Malaysia and SUHAKAM to provide an explanation of the delay and ensure both the 2020 and 2021 Annual Reports are tabled and debated in the Parliament as soon as possible.