The Malaysian government should immediately release human rights defenders and civil society leaders from MANDIRI and HAYAT, in the absence of a clear and legal justification for their arrest and detention, Amnesty International, CIVICUS, FORUM-ASIA, Front Line Defenders and Human Rights Watch said today. It should also end the persecution of these organizations, including the freezing of organisational and personal bank accounts, as well as the imposition of travel restrictions, without any publicly disclosed justification. The arrest and detention of the leaders and other restrictive measures appear to have been implemented without due process and create a chilling effect on the work of human rights defenders and civil society organisations in Malaysia.
On 22 September, authorities arrested and detained MANDIRI Executive Director Amir Hadi and Finance Director Dobby Chew - who is also the Executive Director of the death penalty abolition group HAYAT - after they appeared before investigators of the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department to record their statements. This followed a police raid of the two organisations' shared office in Petaling Jaya on 18 September. Media reports stated that Hadi and Chew were detained under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLA). Hadi told reporters, however, that authorities failed to specify the offence being investigated other than citing "suspicious funds." Hadi and Chew are on remand until 25 September. If found guilty, they face up to 15 years' imprisonment and a fine of five times the sum or value of an "unlawful activity," or RM5 million (USD 1,226,362), whichever is higher.
Before this, in May 2026, MANDIRI faced an online smear campaign after anonymous social media posts accused it of receiving foreign funding to destabilise the government. MANDIRI denied the allegations, stating that its funding supports legitimate civil society activities, including youth and community organising, public engagement and advocacy. Shortly afterwards, then Youth Chief of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Political Secretary to the Prime Minister, Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim, publicly repeated the allegations and called for an investigation into the organisation under AMLA. MANDIRI subsequently filed a defamation suit after he refused to retract his statements.
Before their arrest, Hadi and Chew discovered they had been placed under travel bans, despite not having been questioned or informed of the reasons. The personal bank accounts of both individuals, along with the organisational accounts of MANDIRI and HAYAT, were also frozen. They have yet to receive a clear explanation for the travel restrictions or account freezes; despite stating they are willing to cooperate with any legitimate investigation.
The arrest and detention of Hadi and Chew, as well as the measures against them and their groups MANDIRI and HAYAT, raise serious concerns about the rights to freedom of expression and association in Malaysia. The freezing of organisational accounts has far-reaching consequences beyond the individuals directly affected, disrupting the ability of both organizations to pay staff, implement programmes, support communities and carry out human rights work.
These developments are also troubling in the context of a wider pattern of restrictions faced by human rights defenders, activists, journalists, academics and civil society actors in Malaysia. These include the arrest and detention of three activists during a peaceful protest against allegations of corruption in April; the continuing ban on the film Mentega Terbang on the grounds of "offending religious feelings"; and the reported arrest of a TikTok user allegedly for criticising the Prime Minister.
The use of anti-money laundering and terrorism financing laws against civil society organisations is particularly concerning. Counter-terrorism laws must never be used to suppress dissent, restrict civic space or target civil society organisations. Human rights defenders, community organisers, journalists and advocacy groups must be able to carry out their work without fear of retaliation, harassment or undue interference. States have an obligation to respect, protect and ensure these rights and to create an environment in which the rights can be exercised freely and safely. States must also ensure that any restrictions on human rights meet the requirements of legality, legitimate aim, necessity and proportionality, and are subject to effective safeguards and oversight.
The Malaysian authorities should immediately provide a clear explanation for the detention of Hadi and Chew, as well as the other measures imposed on them and their organizations and ensure that all actions taken comply with Malaysia's international human rights obligations. In the absence of a clear and legal justification for their detention, both Hadi and Chew must be immediately and unconditionally released. Any other unjustified restrictions such as the travel bans and account freezing should be lifted without delay.
The government should take concrete and effective measures to uphold and ensure the human rights of everyone in the country, safeguard civic space, and ensure that laws and investigative powers are not used to silence dissent, punish criticism or undermine the legitimate work of civil society organisations.
Civil society organisations should be free to receive and use legitimate funding, organise, advocate and engage in public debate without intimidation or unjustified government interference. The authorities must ensure that measures intended to address financial or other offences are not misused to restrict human rights or impede legitimate civil society activity.
