PETALING JAYA: Gerakan Media Merdeka (Geramm) has expressed concern over the arrest of former Free Malaysia Today (FMT) journalist Rex Tan under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act.
The media advocacy group said it was troubled by reports that Tan was arrested after midnight following a summons to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters.
“Geramm understands Tan had indicated readiness to cooperate on investigations linked to his question posed to United Kingdom politician George Galloway during a public lecture titled ‘Gaza Exposes the Complicity of International Actors’ on Jan 12 in Kuala Lumpur,” it said in a statement on Saturday (Jan 17).
The group added that there was no pressing need for authorities to detain him in the middle of the night.
Geramm also said that Tan’s arrest could set a precedent that criminalises journalists for asking “sensitive”, “controversial” or “ignorant” questions.
Tan had earlier issued a public apology through FMT and subsequently resigned from the news portal. FMT had also taken swift action against him following the incident, the group noted.
“Regardless of differing views on reporting or questioning, media workers should not be subjected to actions that compromise their safety, dignity or ability to work freely,” Geramm added.
Tan was arrested at about midnight and was detained under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 505(c) of the Penal Code.
The arrest followed a sensitive question, alleged to contain racial elements, that was raised during a public lecture in Kuala Lumpur.
On Friday (Jan 16), media reports said Tan had resigned from FMT, a day after he apologised on Thursday (Jan 15) over the question he posed during the lecture, which sparked controversy.
The Malaysian Media Council later condemned the doxxing, harassment and intimidation of journalists following the backlash against Tan.
