Eight people ‘arrested for protesting anti-LGBTQ+ crackdowns’ in Malaysia
Eight people were reportedly arrested for protesting state crackdowns on the LGBTQ+ community in Malaysia. The demonstration was held outside the downtown Sogo shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur on 29 July.
Protesters held placards with messages on them, such as “gay people are not criminals, being gay is not a crime” and “people should not be persecuted because of their sexual orientation”. “Down down Sharia Court, only God can judge,” some chanted.
Those arrested were aged between 18 and 56 and face charges of illegal gathering, preventing/obstructing the police and holding/displaying offensive placards.
They were ultimately released on a bail equivalent to more than £2,000 ($2,500) each after interrogation and have now gone into hiding out of fear for their safety. READ MORE: Malaysia seizes rainbow watches from Swatch stores in series of raids “Any effort to promote and normalise a perverted lifestyle that contradicts Islamic teachings and human nature, such as LGBT, is completely unacceptable,” the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office (Religious Affairs) said on 1 August. “Efforts to block the spread of such perverse beliefs must be carried out earnestly and in concert.” Those arrested all follow the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, which they are believed to have been questioned about extensively. “They were detained for a total of 48 hours for protesting in support of LGBT+ human rights” Hadil El-Khouly, the Human Rights Outreach Coordinator of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light UK, said: “They were detained for a total of 48 hours for protesting in support of LGBT+ human rights.
