HAKAM

14/04/2026

[Rountable on Strengthening Judicial Independence and Appointment Process]

Date: 16 April 2026
Time: 2.30pm-5pm
Venue: Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, Level 2, Wisma Badan Peguam Malaysia, 2 Leboh Pasar Besar, 50050 Kuala Lumpur.

27/03/2026

📢 SAVE THE DATE!

CSO Platform for Reform with Bar Council Civil Law and Law Reform Committee and National Human Rights Society (HAKAM), invites you to a timely Roundtable on Strengthening Judicial Independence and the Appointments Process.

In Malaysia's evolving governance landscape, an independent judiciary is the bedrock of justice, accountability, and the rule of law. Join key stakeholders, legal experts, and civil society to discuss actionable pathways for enhancing transparency, merit-based appointments, and safeguards against interference.

📅 Thursday, 16 April 2026
🕒 Time: 2:30 PM- 5:00 PM
📍 Venue: Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium,
2nd Floor, Wisma Badan Peguam Malaysia, 2, Leboh
Pasar Besar, 50050 Kuala Lumpur

Spaces limited—Registration details will be shared soon.

19/03/2026

[Respect, History, and the Rule of Law: Reconsidering the Treatment of Hindu Temples]

‘… [W]e have been able to maintain peace because we respect each other.’1

Those wise and enduring words were spoken by Malaysia’s Father of Independence, Tunku Abdul Rahman, during a speech delivered to students of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. In that address, Tunku reminded the young generation that the strength of Malaysia has never rested solely on laws, institutions, or economic progress, but on a deeper civic ethic, mutual respect among communities of different faiths, cultures, and traditions.

His words were not merely a reflection of the harmony Malaysia had achieved in the decades after independence, but also a guiding principle for the nation’s future: that peace in a diverse society must be consciously nurtured through restraint, understanding, and fidelity to the rule of law. Recent developments serve as a timely reminder of the relevance of that principle.

Over the past few months, the nation has witnessed the treatment of Hindu places of worship. In a diverse and plural society, the handling of matters involving faith, identity, and historical belonging must be approached with great care and sensitivity. Our constitutional framework promises equality before the law and guarantees the freedom of religion. Yet the true measure of these commitments lies not in the text of legal provisions alone, but in how we respond to sensitive issues affecting vulnerable communities.

While the need for orderly land governance cannot be denied, the manner in which these issues have unfolded, including enforcement actions, public debate, and recent legal developments such as the quashing of police remand orders linked to tensions surrounding a temple in Rawang, reveals a climate of anxiety.

In this context, it is worth reiterating the longstanding call by HAKAM for the Government of Malaysia to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).7 Ratification would not only strengthen Malaysia’s commitment to the protection of fundamental liberties, but also signal to the international community that the nation remains steadfast in upholding universal human rights standards.

Dato’ Sri M Ramachelvam President
National Human Rights Society (Hakam)

18/12/2025

HAKAM INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS DAY 2025 STATEMENT
MIGRANTS ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF SOCIETY

At the heart of the International Migrants Day 2025 theme: “My Great Story: Cultures and Development”, HAKAM wishes to recognize how migrants have driven growth and development in Malaysia and enriched society including helping communities to connect, adapt and support one another.

On this day dedicated to migrants, let us together remember the migrants who left families, friends and their lives behind to travel to unfamiliar nations, to survive, to earn, to contribute to host nations and their respective countries, and remembering those enduring hardship, exploitation, wage theft, unsanitary living conditions and violence.

In an ever-growing environment of dissent against migrants often fueled by economic anxieties, political rhetoric, and media narratives, migrants remain an integral part of society contributing economically to Malaysia and their countries of origin.

HAKAM takes the opportunity to commend the Government of Malaysia on the following key achievements:

1. The increasing of the national minimum wage to RM1,700 per month, on Feb 2025;

2. The alignment of the Sabah and Sarawak Labour Ordinances with labour laws in Peninsular Malaysia, enforced from 1 May 2025;

3. Malaysia’s ratification (on June 2024 and enter into force on June 2025) of International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention C155 on Occupational Safety and Health, 1981, to strengthen national laws and policies on safe and healthy workplaces for all workers;

4. Launching of Malaysia’s first National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAPBHR 2025 – 2030) in August 2025, with a focus on eliminating forced labour by 2030; and

5. The passing of the Employees’ Social Security (Amendment) Act 2025 in early Dec 2025 which essentially provides comprehensive coverage to all workers 24 hours including outside working hours through PERKESO’s Non-Occupational Accident Safety Scheme also known as Lindung 24 Jam or 24/7 Protection scheme.

HAKAM also commends the Government of Malaysia’s ongoing efforts on the following:
1. The drafting of the National Action Plan 4.0 (2026 – 2030) to combat human trafficking. We also congratulate Malaysia in retaining its Tier 2 in the USTIP review;

2. The drafting of the National Action Plan on Forced Labour 2.0 (2026 – 2030) in line with Malaysia ratification of the ILO Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, committing to take effective measures to prevent and eliminate forced labour by 2030; and

3. The review of more than 20 outdated labour laws to align with international standards and address gaps in the laws.
HAKAM further reiterates its call the Government of Malaysia to accede to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (ICMW),the ILO Convention on Domestic Workers 2011(C 189); and related instruments to ensure that the fundamental human rights of Migrant Workers and their families are protected and preserved.

Lastly HAKAM records its appreciation to YB Tuan Sim Chee Keong for engaging members of HAKAM and other stakeholders during his tenure as the Minister of Human Resources.

We congratulate and welcome YB Dato’ Sri Ramanan Ramakrishnan on his appointment as Minister of Human Resources and HAKAM looks forward to continue the engagement with the Honourable Minister.

12/12/2025

The "Justice for the Disappeared - Understanding the human rights impact of the Raymond Koh & Amri Che Mat decisions" seminar heard the from leading voices, legal experts, and families fighting for truth and accountability. A ccrucial conversation on enforced disappearances and justice in Malaysia.

HAKAM reaffirms our commitment to this cause. We will continue to advocate, to speak, and to stand beside the families. HAKAM will continue pressing for structural reforms to ensure these tragic cases are never repeated, and that no family in Malaysia is ever again left in the dark, unheard and unseen.

12/12/2025

‘Nothing to do with race’: Lawyers explain why court ordered RM3m in Amri’s case, RM36m in Raymond Koh’s case

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8 — Did you wonder why the High Court had last month ordered the Malaysian government to pay two different compensation amounts over the abductions of...

10/12/2025

HAKAM’s Human Rights Day Message 2025

21/11/2025

[Justice for the Disappeared - Understanding the Human Rights Impact of the Raymond Koh & Amri Che Mat Decisions]

Join us for a powerful public forum

JUSTICE FOR THE DISAPPEARED - Understanding the human rights impact of the Raymond Koh & Amri Che Mat decisions.

Date: 6 December 2025 (Saturday)
TIme: 10.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.
Venue : Bar Council Auditorium

Hear from leading voices, legal experts, and families fighting for truth and accountability.
A crucial conversation on enforced disappearances and justice in Malaysia.

All are welcome. Please register your attendance via this google form by 3 December 2025

https://forms.gle/FVk1z7uCQXirVnHx6

21/11/2025

(Nov 20): The National Human Rights Society of Malaysia (Hakam) expresses grave concern over the appointment of Federal Court judge Tan Sri Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh to the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC), filling the vacancy left by the retirement of Datuk Zabariah Mohamad Yusof on 10 October 2024.

The National Human Rights Society of Malaysia (Hakam) expresses grave concern over the appointment of Federal Court judge Tan Sri Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh to the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC), filling the vacancy left by the retirement of Datuk Zabariah Mohamad Yusof on 10 October 2024. This...

21/11/2025

KUALA LUMPUR: The appointment of Federal Court judge Tan Sri Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh to the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) raises concerns and breaks from long-standing conventions governing judicial appointments, says the National Human Rights Society (Hakam).

Hakam president Datuk Seri M. Ramachelvam said, in a a statement Thursday (Nov 20), that the move “marks an alarming departure from the established practice of appointing the most senior available Federal Court judge to the JAC”.

KUALA LUMPUR: The appointment of Federal Court judge Tan Sri Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh to the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) raises concerns and breaks from long-standing conventions governing judicial appointments, says the National Human Rights Society (Hakam).

21/11/2025

PETALING JAYA: Sebuah kumpulan hak asasi menggesa kerajaan menjelaskan pelantikan Hakim Mahkamah Persekutuan Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh sebagai ahli Suruhanjaya Pelantikan Kehakiman (SPK), mengenepikan seorang hakim yang lebih kanan bagi jawatan tersebut.
Persatuan Kebangsaan Hak Asasi Manusia (Hakam) berkata keputusan untuk melantik Terrirudin dan bukan Hakim Rhodzariah Bujang, yang dilantik ke Mahkamah Persekutuan pada 2020, menimbulkan persoalan serius mengenai kriteria yang diguna pakai dalam pemilihan itu.

Ia juga menjejaskan prinsip ketelusan dan konsistensi yang sepatutnya mengawal selia pelantikan kehakiman, kata Presiden Hakam M Ramachelvam.

Persatuan Kebangsaan Hak Asasi Manusia berkata pelantikan Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh bukannya Rhodzariah Bujang timbul soalan kriteria diguna pakai dalam pemilihan.

21/11/2025