Rio is ready to party after two pandemic-disrupted carnivals and a polarising presidential election in October, in which veteran leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ousted incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.

According to authorities, they were trying to topple Hong Kong's government, while the defendants say they are being prosecuted for practising normal opposition politics.

Hate speech on its own is already insidious but when politicians participate in it, it adds a sense of 'legitimacy' to the public, who may be influenced by what is being said.

If now is not the time for Anwar Ibrahim to bring back this essential local election level of democracy to Malaysian society, when exactly can civil society expect its promised restitution?

In Europe, almost half of all democracies, or 17 countries, suffered democratic erosion in the last five years.

Malaysia should not wait to become a full-fledged democracy to implement new forms of democratic participation, as such innovations would support the democratisation process.

But the Economist's annual index maintains Malaysia as a 'flawed democracy', a category that includes the US and several other major democracies.

Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah says he would support a ban on political gatherings if one is imposed for the Sarawak election.

He says Malaysia is a country that upholds democratic principles.

The administration of Prayut Chan-O-Cha has increasingly come under fire due to its handling of the pandemic.

The decision comes after police froze accounts and arrested staff using a new national security law.

Dozens of prominent activists have been arrested since the national security law was introduced last year.