Malaysia - February 2025

 Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced on 13 February plans to pass legislation removing Section 11 of the Peaceful Assembly Act, and Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the government would cease enforcing it immediately. Section 11 requires the organizers of protests to obtain permission from property owners as a condition of holding any public gathering. Section 11 had frequently been criticized as unnecessarily complex and acting as a convenient tool for denying permission for protests critical of the government, and civil society groups welcomed the announcement. The law itself will be amended at the next meeting of parliament in June 2025. 

Sources: The Diplomat, Daily Star