Activist group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has questioned the level of press freedom since the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government took over, claiming that Malaysia’s new administration is increasingly using abusive laws to investigate and prosecute speech critical of the government.

"Since the PN coalition took over the federal government in early March 2020, the authorities have sharply heightened investigations of individuals under broadly worded laws that violate the right to freedom of expression...