Malaysian authorities are set to deport Bangladeshi migrant Rayhan Kabir, who was arrested after appearing in an Al Jazeera documentary.
He has been released and is set to leave Malaysia for Bangladesh, Shariful Islam, the head of Brac Migration Program, told Dhaka Tribune
The Malaysia Airlines flight is expected to arrive Dhaka sometime after 1am on Saturday, he said.
Rayhan was taken to Kuala Lumpur International Airport at about 9pm (Malaysian time) on Friday by immigration officers, reports Malaysian daily the Star.
Md Rayhan, 25, who was in handcuffs, waved and gave a thumbs-up sign to a group of media representatives before being taken to the immigration counter.
Sources said he would be taking a Malaysia Airlines flight to Dhaka at 11pm (Malaysian time).
On Wednesday, two lawyers representing Bangladeshi expatriate Md Rayhan Kabir said the country’s immigration has decided to deport Rayhan but will not press any charges against him.
Rayhan was featured in the Al Jazeera documentary ‘Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown’ that alleged the mistreatment of migrants by Malaysian authorities during the movement control order.
The documentary tackled the Malaysian government’s “military-style” raids on migrant communities under the pretext of coronavirus management.
The raids have seen migrants, including children and the elderly, rounded up and “handcuffed and chained together” for hours under the hot sun while they waited for their documents to be verified.
This included their experiences during a raid by authorities on Jalan Masjid India — a popular shopping street in downtown Kuala Lumpur — on May 1, which led to the arrest of several undocumented foreigners, which the Qatar-based news agency described as “racist and inhumane”.
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The documentary raises allegations of mistreatment and persecution of foreigners at the height of Malaysia’s battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the same time, there are concerns that harsh punishments towards the media may limit press freedom and cover-up wrongdoings by the authorities.
Soon after the documentary made its way online, the concerned authorities shifted their focus onto Rayhan, who was seen criticizing the Malaysian government.
Rayhan told the news channel that he was forbidden from seeing his friends who were detained.
In the documentary, Rayhan showed footage on his phone of other migrants being herded down the street by government officials. He also shared how some migrant workers were arrested when their companies failed to renew their visas, calling the government measures a “clear act of racism”.
Rayhan’s work permit has since been revoked and the Malaysian immigration department said on Tuesday that he will be deported and blacklisted from entering Malaysia forever.
Rayhan was arrested by immigration officers on July 24 in Setapak following a two-week manhunt.
Malaysian police are also investigating Al Jazeera for sedition, in addition to the violation of several other Malaysian laws.
