The Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) has expressed concern over threats against the parliamentarians as the governments used responses to the resurgence of Covid-19 to unjustifiably silence democratic debate in 2021.

In its newly released annual report 2021, APRH said the lawmakers who exercise their freedom of expression to scrutinise official measures were either targeted through trumped-up criminal charges, threats and harassment, physical violence, or detention.

“The last year has seen a dramatic rise in the number of MPs detained across Southeast Asia, from just one in 2020 to 91 in 2021, largely due to developments in Myanmar, where the military...