A Malaysian official was charged with sedition on Thursday at the Galen Duta Session Court, a political maneuver believed to suppress dissent with the Malaysian regime, according to human rights groups.

The charges came two years after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had vowed to abolish the 1948 Sedition Act.

Like Us on Facebook

The sedition charge is believed to have stemmed from politician N. Surendran's claims that the government had conspired to convict opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim with sodomy earlier this month, the news agency Voice of America reported.

Surendran is also one of Anwar's lawyers.

Officials and human rights groups have repeatedly called for Najib to follow through on his announcement to repeal the Sedition Act, saying that the decree was oppressive.

In July 2013, Najib had re-affirmed his intention to abolish the 66-year old act during an interview with the BBC, citing plans to replace the act with a new National Harmony law, according to The Malaysian Insider.

However, observers note Najib's regime continues to use the law most notably against the opposition who claim that the act served to stifle dissent.

Human Rights Watch condemned the charge, claiming that this is yet "another blatant example of a draconian law being used to violate freedom of expression and silence critics."

The regime has seen an increasing number of opposition figures charged with sedition, including PKR vice president Tian Chua, DAP Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and activists Muhammad Safwan Anang and Haris Ibrahim, to name a few.

Meanwhile, chief opposition leader Anwar - who is currently on appeal on the sodomy charges - defended his lawyer.

He said Surendran should have to right to speak out about his suspicions on the regime's alleged involvement in his case.

Surendran is currently out on bail for RM5,000 (US$1585.29) and is expected to appear for another session next month.

If found guilty, he faces either a jail time of up to three years, a fine of RM5,000 or both. He will also be disqualified from office in accordance to qualification regulations if fined for more than RM2,000 (US$634.12) and jailed for over 12 months.

TagsSeri Najib Razak, Surendran, Anwar Ibrahim, sedition, sodomy, Malaysia, Human Rights