KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA (HRNW) — A coalition of international human-rights organizations is calling on Malaysian authorities to release two civil-society leaders detained during an investigation involving their organizations.
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, CIVICUS, FORUM-ASIA and Front Line Defenders issued a joint statement on September 24 calling for the release of MANDIRI Executive Director Amir Hadi and HAYAT Executive Director Dobby Chew.
According to the organizations, police detained Hadi and Chew on September 22 after they appeared before investigators from the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department.
The arrests followed a police raid on the organizations’ shared office in Petaling Jaya on September 18.
The groups said the two men were being held under Malaysia’s Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act.
The joint statement said the detainees reported that authorities had not clearly explained the specific alleged offense beyond references to “suspicious funds.”
The organizations also raised concerns over travel restrictions and the freezing of personal and organizational bank accounts.
According to the statement, the measures have affected the ability of MANDIRI and HAYAT to pay staff, implement programs and continue human-rights activities.
The groups said the organizations had previously faced allegations concerning foreign funding, which MANDIRI denied, saying its funding supports civil-society activities including youth organizing, community engagement and advocacy.
The rights organizations called for a clear legal explanation for the detention and other restrictions.
They also urged Malaysian authorities to ensure that financial-investigation powers are not used to improperly restrict freedom of association, expression or legitimate civil-society work.
The statement comes amid wider concerns raised by rights groups over the operating environment for activists, journalists and civil-society organizations in Malaysia.
The organizations are calling for the immediate release of the detained defenders if authorities cannot provide a clear and lawful justification for their continued detention.
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Disclaimer
This article is based on a September 24, 2026 joint statement by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, CIVICUS, FORUM-ASIA and Front Line Defenders. Allegations concerning the arrests, account freezes, travel restrictions and investigative process are attributed to the organizations and affected individuals and have not been independently verified by HRNW.
