Its executive director, Katrina Jorene Maliamauv, said the move was an “obvious attempt” to intimidate and silence the students, who were members of the Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany).

Umany president Robin Yap Wen Qing and vice-president Tan Li Yuan are being investigated over alleged sedition and misuse of network facilities regarding a Umany statement on the role of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The group had published an article entitled “Yang di-Pertuan Agong should not intervene in national affairs” on their Facebook page last week.

Wong Yan Ke, a former Umany president and student activist, was also detained after video recording a police raid on Yap’s home. He was released earlier today.

“The decision to investigate these students is appalling. It is a violation of their right to freedom of expression, especially considering that the Facebook post they made was intended to be part of an academic debate,” said Katrina in a statement.

She urged the authorities to drop the investigation, adding that Universiti Malaya should also work on protecting its students’ rights to free speech.

She also called for amendments in the Sedition Act and Communications and Multimedia Act to comply with international human rights standards.

“Gatekeeping ideas and penalising students for having critical opinions only serves to dampen and harm academic discourse.

“The right to freedom of expression is a fundamental human right that should be enjoyed by all persons in Malaysia, including students.”