Academic Questions Seizure Of Malaysiakini Editor S Laptop By Cops In Kj Probe

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Police recently interrogated Malaysiakini’s executive editor RK Anand and confiscated a laptop following a police report lodged over an article quoting Khairy Jamaluddin’s comments in his ‘Keluar Sekejap’ podcast.
PETALING JAYA: The police may have exceeded their authority in the confiscation of a Malaysiakini senior editor’s laptop and demanding access to the portal’s backend, says an academic.
“It seems to be a clear overreach of power, as this case is being investigated under criminal defamation law,” Taylor’s University’s Benjamin Loh told FMT.
“If I understand correctly, Malaysiakini may only be at fault for republishing defamatory content rather than creating it. Since they did not produce the defamatory content, why would the authorities need to confiscate the laptop or access their backend system?” he asked.
Police recently interrogated Malaysiakini’s executive editor RK Anand and confiscated a laptop after law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said’s political secretary Suraya Yaacob lodged a police report over an article quoting Khairy Jamaluddin’s comments in his “Keluar Sekejap” podcast.

The backend refers to the content management system and database that is used to publish the articles online. It is a secure site and not accessible by all staff.
Loh said it was also a great concern that the laptop of a senior editor was taken away, as it might contain sensitive and confidential information, especially from sources, whistleblowers and those vulnerable.
“Defamation laws exist to protect reputations, but their use here appears to prioritise silencing criticism over addressing wrongdoing,” he said.
Loh said criminal defamation laws, as they currently exist, are unfair as they allow the government to use law enforcement such as the police, unlike in civil law where this is not allowed.
“Based on the Malaysiakini article, it did appear that they were making some strong accusations against specific people in government, based on certain assumptions.
“If there was indeed wrongdoing as they asserted, then they should be able to produce evidence to support their claims if their defamation case goes to trial,” he said.
Loh also asked why Malaysiakini was the only media outlet being targeted in this way, especially as Khairy’s podcast was widely reported by other media and shared extensively on social media.
Meanwhile, Gerakan Media Merdeka (Geramm), an activist group representing journalists, condemned the authorities for their “unacceptable actions”.
Geramm spokesman Radzi Razak called for the police and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to stop what he called “heavy-handed measures”.
“This unnecessary targeting of a newsroom brings the country back to the dark days when authorities freely harassed media they disliked. It is now 2025, not 1955 – these actions are unacceptable in a modern democracy.
“Targeting journalists and news organisations rather than addressing alleged defamation through proper legal channels sets a dangerous precedent for press freedom,” he said.
In his podcast, Khairy alleged that the royal addendum related to former prime minister Najib Razak caused a trust crisis within Umno, and implied that Azalina was involved in concealing the addendum.
Following a police report lodged by Suraya, the authorities launched a probe under Section 500 of the Penal Code for defamation and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for improper use of network facilities.
In MCMC’s instruction for Malaysiakini to provide access to its backend, it warned that failure to comply constitutes an offence.
FMT has contacted the communications ministry, MCMC and police for comment. - FMT

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