Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission more suitable as the appellant body In her view, the ZMC would not be the competent body to arbitrate in a matter in which the Commission does not have the expertise and knowledge to handle an issue pertaining to health.ДЄnother resident in Marondera said the Zimbabwe Media Commission is not decentralised in all provinces as is the case with the ZHRC, making it difficult, therefore, for citizens living in areas where the ZMC is not represented, to immediately lodge their appeals. In Bulawayo, a citizen submitted that it would not be appropriate to launch an appeal with the Zimbabwe Media Commission should one be denied access to their health records. Overwhelming submissions were made on the need for appeals relating to denial of information requests to be lodged with the ZHRC, or a competent court of law, and not with the ZMC as its constitutional mandate is on media regulation. Of concern though, among other contentious issues, is the fact that the new law ignores overwhelming submissions by citizens during public hearings into the Freedom of Information Bill before its passage in Parliament, pertaining to the roles of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) and Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC). Most people in Malaysia are ethnic Malays who are Muslim but there are also large communities of ethnic Chinese, Indian and Indigenous people who follow other religions and beliefs.The signing into law of the Freedom of Information Act as part of the processes of repealing the draconian and widely discredited Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) is a significant milestone in ZimbabweвЂ™s law reforms agenda that should set the pace for the repeal of other laws that infringe on the countryвЂ™s constitutional rights.Д¬ommendably, some of the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act will go a long way in giving effect to Sections 61 and 62 of the Constitution which provide for freedom of expression, media freedom and access to information. The two cases have put censorship back in the spotlight in a country where the freedom to be creative has long been hobbled by restrictive laws, as well as political, religious and cultural sensitivities. Hot on the heels of 44-year-old FahmiвЂ™s arrest, award-winning political cartoonist Zunar also found himself under investigation вЂ“ for a caricature of a state chief minister that he published in January. The queen, Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, had come under fire earlier for saying: вЂњAre you jealous?вЂќ to an Instagram user who questioned alleged privileged access to COVID-19 vaccines on her personal Instagram account. He was also accused of sharing вЂњoffensive and menacing contentвЂќ for the list, which he uploaded to Spotify and Apple Music, featuring songs including Jealousy by Queen and God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols. Police arrested Fahmi, who came to prominence in 2015 with a now iconic clown caricature that lampooned then-Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, on April 23, accusing him of insulting the queen with the playlist, which he titled Dengki Ke (Malay for вЂњAre you jealous?вЂќ) and illustrated with a cover image of the royal. George Town, Malaysia вЂ“ The arrest of graphic artist and social activist Fahmi Reza over a satirical song list poking fun at a comment made by MalaysiaвЂ™s queen has rekindled debate over freedom of expression in the Southeast Asian nation.

Draconian laws