Malaysian police raid Al Jazeera's Kuala Lumpur office
Malaysian police have raided Al Jazeera's Kuala Lumpur office and seized two computers, the news network said, condemning the incident as a "troubling escalation" in the government's crackdown on press freedoms.
The raid on Tuesday came after authorities in Malaysia announced they were investigating Al Jazeera for sedition, defamation and violation of the country's Communications and Multimedia Act.
The probe relates to a 101 East programme examining the Malaysian government's treatment of undocumented migrant workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
Giles Trendle, managing director of Al Jazeera English, said the network was "gravely concerned" by the raid and the new charges, which carry jail terms and hefty fines, and called on the Malaysian government to cease its criminal investigation against the network's journalists immediately. "Conducting a raid on our office and seizing computers is a troubling escalation in the authorities' crackdown on media freedom and shows the lengths they are prepared to take to try to intimidate journalists," Trendle said in a statement. "Al Jazeera stands by our journalists and we stand by our reporting. Our staff did their jobs and they've got nothing to answer for or apologise for. Journalism is not a crime."
The raid comes nearly a month after Malaysian police questioned seven of Al Jazeera's journalists over the documentary, Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown, which aired on July 3. Since then, Al Jazeera said its staff and the individuals interviewed in the documentary had faced abuse, death threats and the disclosure of their personal details on social media.
Earlier, Mohammad Rayhan Kabir, a Bangladeshi migrant worker in was arrested in Malaysia for speaking out on discrimination faced by undocumented migrant workers at the hands of the authorities during the Covid-19 lockdown, in a documentary broadcast by Qatar-based Al Jazeera.
Malaysian officials criticised the 101 East investigative report as being inaccurate, misleading and unfair. The network said it strongly refutes those allegations.
On July 31, Amnesty International has criticised the Malaysian government's action to deport Rayhan Kabir, who gave an interview critical of the government in the Al Jazeera documentary "Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown."
In recent months, other journalists have also been questioned about their reporting in Malaysia.
Rayhan specifically spoke about the experiences of his friends and a fellow Bangladeshi who was undocumented. Rayhan possessed a valid work permit – till it was revoked following the airing of the documentary.
Soon after his arrest, Director General of Immigration Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud stated that Rayhan will be deported and blacklisted from entering Malaysia forever.
Rayhans' lawyers 'weren't allowed' to meet him
Two lawyers, Sumita Shaanthinni Kishna and Selvaraja Chinniah were at the immigration department in Putrajaya to meet Rayhan at 2pm on Monday.
They informed the Brac Migration Programme that they failed to meet Rayhan as authorities did not allow them to do so.
On July 31, Amnesty International has criticised the Malaysian government's action to deport Rayhan Kabir, who gave an interview critical of the government in the Al Jazeera documentary "Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown."
Mohamad Rayhan Kabir was arrested on 24 July following a two-week manhunt, after the Immigration Department issued a wanted notice against him. In addition to having his work permit revoked and the impending deportation, he has been blacklisted from ever entering Malaysia again.
