MALAYSIA should drop all nine charges against cartoonist Zunar, the United Nations special rapporteur said.

Karima Bennoune also urged the government to lift the travel ban against the cartoonist, whose real name is Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, on grounds of freedom of artistic expression.

Expressing her concern on the persecution of Zunar, Bennoune said the Malaysian government should develop concrete plans to guarantee freedom of artistic expression.

“There is an urgent need to review and clarify the criteria for censorship of books and films and to make the decision-making process more transparent so as to guarantee cultural rights, including freedom of artistic expression.

“Terms like ‘controversial’ or ‘sensitive’ are too subjective to conform to international standards on freedom of expression.  

“In addition, more support should be provided for independent and documentary film producers, including platforms in national media to present these,” she said in her report on the field of cultural rights in Malaysia.

Zunar was charged with sedition in 2015 over his tweets criticising the judiciary, and faces nine charges and possible jail time of 43 years.

The special rapporteur and other UN human rights experts are expected to follow closely the development of Zunar’s trial next week.

On another issue, Bennoune also expressed her concern on 400 cases of customary land disputes in Sabah and Sarawak.

In Sabah, she noted the task force that was announced at the last Universal Periodic Review process is apparently unknown to some stakeholders who reported they have not been approached or consulted to identify and recognise customary lands.

In the peninsula, Bennoune said the Orang Asli do not enjoy the same recognition as Sabahans and Sarawakians, adding that some have reported feeling pressured to conform and become Malays at school.

“There are also reports of attempts to declare Orang Asli as Muslims on their documents and material inducements to convert,” she said.

There were also reports of some Orang Asli children were pressured to join Muslim prayers and wear headscarves, and of a dearth of representations of their history and ways of life in the curriculum.

“Teachers need to be conscious of the influence they can have on all children in their classes, including Orang Asli, and integrate tolerance and respect for diversity in their everyday interactions with children,” she said.  

Bennoune also expressed her grave concern on reports of bullying of Orang Asli schoolchildren which contributes to the incidence of dropping out.

“All relevant agencies must take a strong position against this harmful practice and develop and implement a systematic program to fight against it and provide tools for the teachers and school administrators to prevent and resolve it,” she said.

There were also accounts of Orang Asli villages being displaced for infrastructure or large-scale development projects, which implies loss of their traditional land.

According to her, there are needs to recognise customary land and engaging in mapping the Orang Asli presence, not only in their current active use of land but also access to the forest and future needs.

She noted the loss of their lands means active destruction of their ways of life, including rituals, beliefs, knowledge and practices. – September 22, 2017.