Malaysia - September 2026

On 18 September, Malaysian authorities raided the offices of youth activism organization MANDIRI and human rights NGO HAYAT, seizing documents and freezing both organizational and personal bank accounts linked to their leadership, and imposing travel bans on staff. On 22 September, the executive directors of both organizations were detained under anti-money-laundering legislation after voluntarily appearing for questioning. The organizations said authorities had not been able to identify the alleged underlying offence beyond citing ‘suspicious funds’. The allegations appear to be related to an anonymous social media campaign in May 2026 that alleged MANDIRI had received foreign funding to destabilize the Malaysian government. International human rights organizations criticized the authorities’ actions as unjustified and aimed at creating a chilling effect on civil-society activity. The measures represent a deterioration in the operating environment for civil society organizations, potentially limiting advocacy, public engagement and associational activity. 

Sources: Human Rights Watch, Forum Asia, Utusan

On 29 September, Malaysian authorities began returning 5,000 ethnic Rohingya Myanmar nationals from immigration detention centres, despite warnings from civil society organizations, the UN refugee agency and rights groups. More than 160 civil society organizations had earlier urged the government to halt planned deportations, arguing that Rohingya refugees and other returnees could face persecution, ongoing armed conflict and forced conscription if sent back to Myanmar. They also criticized governmental efforts to cooperate with Myanmar's military junta, and warned that returns could violate international refugee protection principles. While Malaysian authorities maintained that returns were voluntary, the UNHCR stated it was unable to independently verify that decisions to return were genuinely free and informed.

Sources: France24 , Reuters

Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim granted former prime minister Najib Razak a conditional royal pardon on 18 September, allowing him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest, provided he pays a reduced court-imposed fine. Najib has been imprisoned since 2022 following convictions linked to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB corruption scandal. The decision overrides earlier court rulings that had rejected Najib’s bid for house arrest and reduces the punitive consequences of his conviction. Critics, including civil-society groups, argued that the move undermines equality before the law and public confidence in anti-corruption efforts, while supporters defended it as a constitutional, albeit unprecedented, exercise of royal clemency. 

Sources: Associated Press, The Diplomat, International IDEA