Press Statement
The authorities must stop the unlawful harassment against Md Rayhan Kabir
27 July 2020
We view with grave concern the arrest of Bangladeshi national, Md Rayhan Kabir by the Immigration Department which was confirmed by the authorities on 25 July 2020.
Soon after his arrest, the Director General of Immigration, Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud stated that Rayhan will be deported and blacklisted from entering Malaysia forever.
Such drastic measures by the authorities is unwarranted as they have thus far failed to explain what offence Rayhan has committed. Clearly , the action by the authorities is a form of retaliation over the allegations of discrimination made by Rayhan in the Al Jazeera documentary.
We have scrutinised the statement made by Rayhan in the documentary and firmly restate that he has not said anything even remotely in breach of the country’s laws.
Rayhan was only venting his frustrations and concerns regarding the crackdown by the authorities on the migrant community during the Movement Control Order. Similar complaints have been made by local activists and NGOs. There is no justifiable reason why the authorities must resort to such punitive measures against Rayhan for his statements.
We reiterate that the revocation of Rayhan’s permit is in breach of section 9(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and his deportation for being undocumented thus cannot stand.
The persecution of Rayhan sends a chilling message to migrants to not speak out or report abuse by the authorities, lest they suffer the same fate. We must not allow the authorities to act in flagrant disregard of the law. We urgently call on the government and the authorities to halt all actions against Rayhan.
Issued by:
Zaid Malek
Coordinator
Lawyers for Liberty