Stand in Solidarity with Malaysia Youth Human Rights Defender and Former Student Activist, Wong Yan Ke, in Practicing the Freedom of Expression in Malaysia

Stand in Solidarity with Malaysia Youth Human Rights Defender and Former Student Activist, Wong Yan Ke, in Practicing the Freedom of Expression in Malaysia


ACFA is dedicated to connecting civil societies between Taiwan and Southeast Asian in order to defend civic space.

We stand in solidarity with Wong Yan Ke, an youth human rights defender and the former student activist from Universiti Malaya (UM), who now serves as a coordinator in Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), a human rights NGO in Malaysia.

Wong was found guilty under Section 504 of the Penal Code (which refers to intentionally insult a person and provoke a breach of peace) for a solo protest during his graduation ceremony in UM in 2019. After visiting the court for around 70 times from 2020 to 2023, the verdict of Wong's case will be announced on October 9, 2023.

On October 14, 2019, while receiving his bachelor's degree during UM's convocation ceremony, Wong Yan Ke staged a solo protest with a placard demanding the vice-chancellor to resign for his racism remarks in the Malay Dignity Congress. On the next day, the university lodged a police report accusing Wong of disrespecting the ceremony and forbid another student activist to participate in the convocation ceremony in order to prevent the protest from happening again.

Wong was investigated by the police on October 16, 2019, under Section 504 of the Penal Code; on the same day, when he returned to the university to collect his graduation scroll, the staff refused to give him his scroll while claiming that his scroll was 'dirty'. He was only allowed to collect his graduation scroll and academic transcript on October 19, 2019.

Wong was charged under Section 504 of the Penal Code in February 2020. The prosecution was proven a prima facie case in April 2022. He visited the court for around 70 times from 2020 to 2023. On October 9, 2023, the verdict for Wong's case will be announced. The punishment for the case could be up to a maximum of 2 years in jail or fine, or both.

Freedom of speech is a critical and a key pillar of civic space. While standing in solidarity with Wong Yan Ke, ACFA express our concern over the situation of freedom of speech in Malaysia.

  • We condemn the Universiti Malaya and the Malaysian authority for silencing student activism and the prosecution against a young citizen who was practicing his fundamental human rights of the right to the freedom of expression.
  • We urge the Malaysian government to take action to protect students' fundamental human rights to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association.
#StopSilencingStudents #StudentActivismIsNotACrime #DefendCivicSpace #FreedomOfSpeech

For more information, go to SUARAM: https://www.facebook.com/suararakyatmalaysia

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ACFA的宗旨是連結台灣與東南亞,一起發展捍衛區域公民空間的策略和合作。透過研究、論壇、培訓等方式,探索台灣在東南亞公民空間緊縮下的潛在角色。辦公室主任將會與執行長緊密合作,將與全體工作夥伴共同齊心協力,將本會發展至更具影響力也更為穩健的狀態。這是一份充滿挑戰的工作,適合獨立自主且具備衝勁與責任感的你加入。 職缺及申請方式 型態:正職人員,每週工作40小時。 地點:台北市,需要每日至辦公室上班。 薪資:四萬以上,敬請面議。 直屬主管:執行長。 招聘截止日期:2024年12月31日(先到先審) 開始工作時間:2025年1月。 申請文書:中英文履歷、推薦信兩封(不限長度)、自我陳述信一封(不限長度)、最高文憑pdf檔(敬請加註「僅供ACFA單次求職使用」)。 申請方式:請將上述文件寄信director@acfa.tw 面試流程:(一)筆試:攜帶筆電至辦公室完成筆試,大約需要三至四小時(二)第一階段面試(可以與筆試同一天進行):大約一小時至一個半小時(

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