Editorial
A transgender woman may face years in prison for ‘wearing women’s clothes,’ according to reports.
Nur Sajat, who is from Malaysia, was reportedly charged with breaking Sharia law by attending a religious event in a dress back in 2018.
Citizens are believed to have argued that by wearing women’s clothes, Sajat showed ‘contempt’ to Islam.
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After hearing the news, the 36-year-old is believed to have fled the country back in January.
The following month, an arrest warrant was issued when she failed to turn up to a hearing, alongside a separate charge for her to appear as a victim and witness to another incident, The Star reports.
On September 20, Malaysian police stated that Sajat had been detained by officials in Thailand, as she allegedly holds an invalid passport.
At the time, she was charged with immigration offences but was released on bail.
Sajat is still believed to be in Thailand, as she’s seeking refuge with the UN Refugee Agency (UNCHR).
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Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director, Phil Robertson, said the country should grant her refugee status and that under no circumstances, should she be sent back.
He tweeted: “She needs to be sent to a country that will offer rights protections, not persecuted for being LGBT which is what will happen if she is sent to Malaysia.”
However, Malaysian officials don’t seem to have been swayed by these pleas, as they still urging Sajat to hand herself in.
According to The Star, Comm Datuk Seri Abd Jalil Hassan stated: “As clever as the squirrel is at jumping, eventually it will fall back to earth.
“The police, along with the Foreign Ministry and the Attorney General’s Chambers, are working on extraditing this person.
“However, I also advise this individual to come home ‘in a good way’ so that the cases that are being faced can proceed.”
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