3. denial of official permission to publish newspapers in. certain languages, in particular languages understood by minority communities, and restrictions in the frequency of such publications; 4. the need for police permits to hold public gatherings of more than a certain -number of people, sometimes' as low as 5 persons; 5. the use of laws on sedition to subvert free speech; 6. the increasing resort to and wide interpretation of defamation of religion legislation to silence discussion of matters concerning a majority religion that nonetheless have serious consequences and implications on the freedom to profess and practice the religion of minority communities; 7. the inability Or refusal of law-enforcement agencies to protect the safety of participants at private gatherings on issues affecting minorities from interruption and disruption by groups representing the majority; 8. the requirement. for official registration with a governmental body in order to establish an organisation, and the lack of transparency and potential for abuse of administrative discretion in granting such official registration. In some cases, there is no opportunity for judicial review of such exercise of discretion; 9. the requirement of geographical distribution and presence in multiple governmental or administrative jurisdictions before an organisation can be considered and recognised as a national organisation; 10. the inability of those without official residency or citizenship documents to participate in the political and law making processes We call on governments to review and remove such barriers and instead to promote positive conditions for effective political participation. I thank the Chair for granting the Malaysian Bar Council an opportunity to make this intervention. Andrew Khoo . Co-Chair Human Rights Committee Malaysian Bar Council Geneva, 12 November 2009