Investigate threats made against activist, Suaram urges gov't
Suaram has urged the authorities to investigate the violent threats made against activist Heidy Quah after she shared her experience working with refugees.
“Suaram is appalled by the personal attack and threats made against Quah in response to her sharing on refugees.
Suaram has urged the authorities to investigate the violent threats made against activist Heidy Quah after she shared her experience working with refugees.
“Suaram is appalled by the personal attack and threats made against Quah in response to her sharing on refugees.
“Suaram calls on the Communications and Multimedia Minister Saifuddin Abdullah to take the lead on the matter and ensure that the perpetrators advocating for violence are brought to justice,” Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy (above) said in a statement today.
The police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) have proven consistently that they are able to track down individuals “posting ‘offensive’ materials against politicians”, he added.
“It is time the authorities use the investigative tools available to them to tackle an actual crime where a person is subjected to criminal intimidation and threat of violence,” he said.
Sevan said there has been a vicious and hate-driven campaign against refugees and migrant workers in Malaysia, which is an attempt to divert attention from the political instability resulting from the coup in February and the economic fallout from Covid-19.
This campaign against refugees and migrant workers is not a natural occurrence, he said, as shown by the false and misleading narratives consistently put forth by bots and fake accounts prevalent on social media.
“It seems the proliferation of disinformation is no longer adequate for the perpetrators as they have now escalated to personal attacks and issuance of threats against personal safety.
“Such threats cannot be tolerated and swift action must be taken by the authorities to deter the normalisation of hate speech and violence in society.
“Failure to act will bear dire consequences for the physical wellbeing and safety of those affected,” Sevan said.
Quah (photo), who is the director for NGO Refuge for the Refugees, had said her social media inbox is full of brutal attacks following her post on the plight of refugees at a detention centre.
“I’ve been working in this field for nearly 10 years. I’ve received some criticisms, but nothing as extreme as this.
“It’s okay if you want to disengage, but don’t come to a point of threatening my safety. Don’t come to a point of attacking my family and race,” she had said.
Quah had also previously said she would lodge a report with the police and MCMC on the threats made against her.
On June 5, Quah shared a Facebook post with a screenshot of a user who asked her to hang herself.
Prior to that, Quah had shared her experience in helping a woman who struggled to care for her baby at the detention centre.
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