'Country on right track in human rights'

The New Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is on the right track in its commitment to create a better human rights culture in the country when it ratified the Rome Statute recently, Amnesty International Malaysia said.

Its executive director, Nora Murat, said the move would see the country becoming a part of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"However," she said, "Amnesty International Malaysia calls on the government not to stop at this.

"Rather, the opportunity should be taken to review other restrictive laws, such as the Internal Security Act, Emergency Ordinances, Printing Presses and Publications Act and laws which allow for corporal punishments and death penalty.

"Merely putting our names to a document is not evidence enough to show us as championing human rights. We must also ensure that the practices and laws of the country uphold the spirit and intention of the Rome Statute."

The ICC was set up to deal with the most serious crimes known to humankind such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression.

Malaysia had sanctioned the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms Of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but with certain reservations despite ratifying these treaties.