The free flow of news and information is essential for a vibrant democracy to flourish in Malaysia. Recent attempts at curtailing this are a violation of our basic right to freedom of information. These repressive moves stifle free and independent media, restrict the work of independent journalists and discourage whistleblowers.

We, the undersigned, therefore:

• demand the unblocking of The Malaysian Insider, Sarawak Report, Asia Sentinel and Medium websites (read the Aliran statement here);
• oppose the proposal to force news portals and blogs to register with the authorities;
• demand the repeal of the Official Secrets Act rather than coming up with stiffer penalties;
• oppose proposed amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act to impose stiffer penalties.

(Visit the Aliran website for more info and updates.)