Former activist Khalid Mohd Ismath has been charged in court last month for allegedly abusing his spouse, police confirm.

Kuala Langat district police chief Ahmad Ridhwan Mohd Nor said the case is still pending in court.

He said the police received a report from his wife on April 15, prompting an investigation under Section 323 of the Penal Code and Section 18A of the Domestic Violence Act 1994.

“The suspect (Khalid) was arrested on April 17, 2023, and was charged in court on April 19, 2023, under Section 323 of the Penal Code read together with Section 326A of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt to a spouse […]” the police chief said in a statement today.

Section 323 provides for punishment of up to one year’s imprisonment, or a fine up to RM2,000, or both, upon conviction for voluntarily causing injury to others.

Section 326A allows for the maximum penalty for a set of violent offences to be doubled when the victim is a spouse, former spouse, an incapacitated adult, or another family member; including for offences punishable under Section 323.

Ahmad’s statement came after Khalid’s spouse posted on Twitter last night that her husband had allegedly abused her.

She claimed he had sexually and mentally abused her throughout their marriage and “disturbed” her colleague.

“This has gone on for nearly 10 years […] I have been trapped in this marriage all this while for the sake of the children.

“I have decided to share my story because I no longer want to be associated with Khalid (above).

“I have received messages from friends asking about my and my children’s well-being. I hope my friends can give us space and respect our privacy for the time being,” she said.

Khalid, a former student activist, was previously the executive director of the group Eliminating Deaths and Abuse in Custody Together (Edict) which campaigned against custodial deaths.