Recently, Numan Afifi who is a gay rights activist in Malaysia was summoned by the PDRM (Polis Diraja Malaysia) regarding a speech he made at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) Universial Periodical Review (UPR) in Geneva, Switzerland last month (March), wrote The Star.
According to Numan’s Facebook post, he was called by the police to give a statement at Bukit Aman on 26 April 2019. You can read his whole statement below:
Dear friends, I have been asked by the police to come in to PDRM HQ Bukit Aman to give a statement on Friday morning…
Posted by Numan Afifi on Monday, April 15, 2019
Numan explained that he read out a statement about “gender identity and sexual orientation under the International Lesbian and Gay Association”. Speaking to The Star, he said,
“The statement that I read was made by a coalition of 12 Malaysian organisations that work on gender identity and sexual orientation.”
“We commended the government for accepting one recommendation, which is the anti-bullying campaign in schools, but raised concerns that Malaysia has rejected the rest of the 10 recommendations on sexual orientation and gender identity.”
“We also spoke about how LGBT people’s participation at the March 9th Women’s March was particularly sensationalised… which led to the Home Ministry saying that LGBT people’s right to assembly should be curtailed.”
On top of that, Numan revealed that they agreed with the statement made by the Foreign Ministry in the UN. If you didn’t know, Foreign Minister Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah said that the LBGT issue is no longer a taboo.
Source: Malaysiakini
Malaysiakini reported that the inspector which called Numan to present himself at Bukit Aman didn’t specify the section of the law in which he would be questioned. Nevertheless, the police confirmed that an investigation paper was opened against him for his speech at the UN. Hmm… weird.
Following that, Malaysiakini has contacted the police for further details but they are still waiting for a response.
After the news about Numan being called to Bukit Aman broke, many prominent figures in the Malaysian political scene came forward and addressed the issue. Former Bersih leader Ambiga and Malaysia’s Representative to the AICHR Eric Paulsen took to Twitter to share their disapproval of the matter.
Note: AICHR is the acronym for ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights.
This cannot be happening in Malaysia Baharu surely! https://t.co/n58cMItSWr
— Ambiga Sreenevasan (@Ambiga_S) April 16, 2019
This is not appropriate. What human rights defenders say in these forums is none of the police's business, certainly should not be subject to investigation. https://t.co/ZMXxiiNUyo
— Eric Paulsen (@EricPaulsen101) April 16, 2019
Not only that, our Foreign Minister showed concern over Numan’s issue and requested an update on the matter.
I heard abt this from our friends this morning. Am very concern. Pls update us. https://t.co/aH7COatFJA
— Saifuddin Abdullah ?? (@saifuddinabd) April 16, 2019
As of now, no further information has been revealed about this issue so we’ve got to keep our eyes peeled for more details on this matter.
On that note, if you want to watch Numan’s entire speech at the UN, you can do so here. Just skip to 40:55 for his speech.
What’s your take on this issue? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: M’sians are Divided Because This Member of LGBT Might Be the Youth And Sports Press Secretary
