(From AFP)
The U.N.’s human rights body said Friday it was “gravely concerned” by a new Malaysian security law coming into force next week that grants the government extraordinary emergency powers.
The government rammed the National Security Council Act through parliament last December, giving it powers to declare virtual martial law in areas of the country determined to be under security threat.
But critics of Prime Minister Najib Razak say he enacted the law as ammunition against any moves to oust him over a huge financial scandal.
The law, which comes into force Monday, allows a National Security Council headed by the prime minister to suspend civil liberties in certain areas, giving government forces sweeping powers of search, seizure and arrest. Read More