Human Rights Tribunal

by HIDAYATH HISHAM

THE government has formed a special committee to explore the feasibility of establishing a Human Rights Tribunal in Malaysia.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s (PM) Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M Kulasegaran said the Human Rights Tribunal Feasibility Study Committee (JKKTHAM), established in June, is tasked with examining various legal and policy perspectives related to human rights.

“Five JKKTHAM meetings have been held. Preliminary research findings have been presented by the research team to JKKTHAM, covering the conceptual and theoretical framework, analysis of existing human rights mechanisms in Malaysia, comparative analysis of international practices and proposed models for a Malaysian human rights tribunal,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to Teresa Kok (PH–Seputeh), who asked about the government’s latest efforts in establishing such a tribunal.

Kulasegaran said the committee is chaired by former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Ma Weng Kwai and includes representatives from the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), the Bar Council, legal academics, practitioners, government agencies and non-governmental organisations.

He added that a focus group discussion involving key stakeholders was held on July 17 in Kuala Lumpur, with further zonal sessions planned in Sabah and Sarawak.