Condemning the arrest of Bangladeshi migrant Rayhan Kabir in Malaysia, Al Jazeera said that it was “disturbing” that someone had been detained for speaking up for “the voiceless and vulnerable.”
Rayhan Kabir, 25, who featured in Al Jazeera's 101 East program, “Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown,” was subjected to abusive online harassment, hate speech and became the target of a manhunt. Authorities say he will be expelled from Malaysia.
Al Jazeera reaffirms its support for freedom of expression as a fundamental human right - without the fear of being criminalized.
Previously, following the airing of the Al Jazeera report, the immigration authorities of Malaysia launched a search for Rayhan Kabir.
Rayhan's work permit was later revoked, making him an illegal immigrant in Malaysia.
He was arrested on Friday by the intelligence branch of the Immigration Authority in Setapak, reports The Star.
Rayhan Kabir would be sent back to Bangladesh and would be barred from entering Malaysia again, media reports quoted Director General of Immigration Khairul Dzamee Daud as saying on Saturday.
