New security laws went into effect Monday in Malaysia.
Critics say the new measures give Prime Minister Najib Razak sweeping emergency powers which could be used to trample on human rights.
The new law enables Najib to suspend civil liberties whenever he believes there is a security threat.
Josef Benedict, Amnesty International's deputy director for South East Asia and the Pacific, said ". . . the government now has spurned checks and assumed potentially abusive power."
The United Nations human rights regional office said it was "gravely concerned" that the laws may encourage human rights violations and lead to "unjust restrictions" on free speech and assembly.
The new legislation was passed as the prime minister is embroiled in a corruption scandal. Critics see the new laws as a way for Najib to hold on to power.