Six Al Jazeera staff released after five hours of quizzing by cops
Six Al Jazeera staff who were summoned for questioning at Bukit Aman today were released after about five hours.
They walked out of the federal police headquarters at around 3pm, accompanied by a team of lawyers.
Six Al Jazeera staff who were summoned for questioning at Bukit Aman today were released after about five hours.
They walked out of the federal police headquarters at around 3pm, accompanied by a team of lawyers.
It is understood that another individual was also called in to have a statement recorded at about 3 pm.
The probe was in connection with the network's "101 East" programme which highlighted the alleged mistreatment of undocumented migrants by Malaysian authorities during the movement control order.
The 25-minute episode had angered the government, which denied the report's claims of racism and maintained that the handling of migrants by the authorities was done according to law.
In an immediate response, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Australian affiliate, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), urged the Malaysian authorities to drop the investigation against Al Jazeera.
According to MEAA, five of the six media workers called up were Australians.
It also stated that it had written to the High Commission of Malaysia in Canberra, Australia, on Malaysia's obligations under the UN General Assembly Resolution 74/157 on "Safety of Journalists" and the issue of impunity.
"Malaysia, as a UN member state, should do its ‘utmost to prevent, violence, threats and attacks targeting journalists and media workers.' MEAA calls on you to fulfil that obligation towards our colleagues," it said.
The IFJ, meanwhile, expressed regret over what it described as attempts by the Malaysian authorities to abuse the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 to silence and intimidate journalists.
"There has been a distinct pattern under the Covid-19 crisis of media workers targeted under the act and Penal Code for simply doing their job.
"It is urgent for Malaysia during the Covid-19 pandemic to prioritise the public’s right to know and for the media to be able to report freely and fairly without the threat of persecution," stressed the union umbrella body which counts the National Union of Journalists as its Malaysian affiliate.
Lawyer for the Al Jazeera team, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, earlier this morning declined to confirm the number of his clients, citing safety reasons.
Since the airing of the documentary, Al-Jazeera staff have had their personal details revealed online, raising concerns over privacy breaches and other forms of online harassment.
Aside from the Al Jazeera staff, the Immigration Department is also tracking down a migrant worker who was interviewed in the documentary.
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