Thai Prosecutors Urged to Drop Malaysian Defamation Case Against Australian Journalist |
A Thai Senate Committee has urged local prosecutors to drop an unprecedented cross-border defamation case against Australian journalist Murray Hunter, which was launched by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) about four months ago.
His case has angered civil society and press freedom groups as the latest example of SLAPPs – Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation – and transnational repression, where a person is charged with an offense, allegedly committed in another jurisdiction.
SLAPPs are designed to exhaust critics financially and psychologically, and thereby silence free speech. The $15 billion lawsuit by U.S. President Donald Trump against media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his $10 billion suit against the BBC are both considered SLAPPS.
“This case is coming when the current Malaysian government is under heavy fire over freedom of speech issues, corruption, abuse of power and governance,” Hunter told The Diplomat. “They need to get this resolved.”
Lawyers say criminal defamation........