A HUMAN rights organisation today urged the Pakatan Harapan government to “get busy” reviewing the many rights-abusing laws still in the statute books.

This, said Phil Robertson, the deputy director (Asia) of the Human Rights Watch, was to avoid other politicians and activist from suffering the similar injustice as PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim did.

“The new Pakatan Harapan government should now get busy revising or revoking the many rights-abusing laws that are still on the books in Malaysia so that other politicians and activists do not suffer a similar injustice to what Anwar faced,” Robertson said in a statement.

Today, Istana Negara announced that PKR de facto leader Anwar was pardoned immediately by the Pardons Board.

Anwar was sentenced to five years’ jail for sodomy in 2015, a move which critics said was politically motivated.

“Freeing Anwar was a long time coming and while people in Malaysia and around the world are delighted, no one should forget the injustice he faced serving a long sentence for a crime that should never have been considered a crime.

“It’s not surprising that there has now been this political solution, in the form of a new government granting his freedom, to his case which former PM Najib (Razak) shamelessly politicised from the very start to sideline a formidable political opponent,” said Robertson.

Last Friday, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had expressed his willingness to grant a full and immediate pardon to Anwar. – May 16, 2018.