Malaysia defended its human rights position at the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva yesterday by rejecting much of the more liberal-natured criticism levelled at it by international delegates and civil society in general.

Foreign ministry deputy secretary-general of multilateral affairs, Ho May Yong, and her team of senior government officers sat at the assembly comprising most of the 193 UN members, who took turns giving their feedback and recommendations in rapid succession, mostly in their native languages.