British journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown has been sentenced in absentia to two years in jail by a Malaysian court. She was sued for defamation by Nur Zahirah, Sultanah of the Malaysian state of Terengganu, on 21st November 2018, a few months after the publication of her book The Sarawak Report: The Inside Story of the 1MDB Exposé.
Rewcastle Brown’s investigative reporting exposed the 1MDB scandal that led to the imprisonment of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak on corruption charges. Less than a week before Rewcastle Brown’s conviction on 7th February, Razak’s twelve-year sentence was reduced by half.
Rewcastle Brown’s investigative reporting exposed the 1MDB scandal that led to the imprisonment of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak on corruption charges. Less than a week before Rewcastle Brown’s conviction on 7th February, Razak’s twelve-year sentence was reduced by half.
The Sultanah — wife of Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin — had originally sought 100m ringgit in libel damages, though the High Court ruled in Rewcastle Brown’s favour, dismissing the case. The Court of Appeal overturned that decision on 12th December last year, and awarded damages of 300,000 ringgit.
The case stems from a single sentence in The Sarawak Report implying that the Sultanah was instrumental in the establishment of 1MDB, referring to “the wife of the sultan, whose acquiescence was needed to set up the fund” (p. 3). After the initial lawsuit, Rewcastle Brown clarified that she should have named the Sultan’s sister rather than his wife, and the text was changed in later editions. She also explained that the ambiguous pronoun “whose” referred to Sultan Mizan himself.
The case stems from a single sentence in The Sarawak Report implying that the Sultanah was instrumental in the establishment of 1MDB, referring to “the wife of the sultan, whose acquiescence was needed to set up the fund” (p. 3). After the initial lawsuit, Rewcastle Brown clarified that she should have named the Sultan’s sister rather than his wife, and the text was changed in later editions. She also explained that the ambiguous pronoun “whose” referred to Sultan Mizan himself.
Another Malaysian author was arrested last year, when he returned to Malaysia from Australia to renew his passport. Kean Wong edited the book Rebirth: Reformasi, Resistance, and Hope in New Malaysia, which was banned in 2020. The Home Ministry declared that the book was “absolutely prohibited throughout Malaysia”, accusing it of satirising the country’s coat of arms with its cover illustration, a painting by Shia Yih Ying (Tolerance!).
Various other books have been banned in Malaysia in recent years, including Sapuman and other comics by Zunar. The comic Belt and Road Initiative for Win-Winism was banned in 2019, though the ban was lifted earlier this year. Gay Is OK! was banned in 2019, unbanned in 2022, and banned again in 2023. The novel Perempuan Nan Bercinta (‘a woman in love’) was banned in 2014, and dozens of books were banned in 2017.
Various other books have been banned in Malaysia in recent years, including Sapuman and other comics by Zunar. The comic Belt and Road Initiative for Win-Winism was banned in 2019, though the ban was lifted earlier this year. Gay Is OK! was banned in 2019, unbanned in 2022, and banned again in 2023. The novel Perempuan Nan Bercinta (‘a woman in love’) was banned in 2014, and dozens of books were banned in 2017.