Trans woman arrested in Bangkok after being accused of violating Islamic law in Malaysia

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A transgender businesswoman was being prosecuted in Malaysia for violating Islamic law in 2018. Now, she has been arrested in Bangkok and could be extradited to her home country, raising concerns from human rights and LGBT associations.

Nur Sajat was charged in January with violating sharia law by dressing as a woman during a religious event in 2018 by an Islamic court in the Malaysian province of Selangor. Last September 8, the cosmetics entrepreneur, whose birth name was Muhammad Sajjad Kamaruz Zaman, was arrested in Bangkok for alleged irregularities in her passport, Malaysian police said in a statement on Monday.

In Thailand, the deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, Archayon Kraithong, has avoided disclosing details of the case when asked by journalists on Tuesday, although the Malaysian portal The Star indicates that the accused was released on bail a day after her arrest. Malaysian police said the authorities are pursuing several cases against the suspect, including an alleged crime of intimidation against public officials. Nur Sajat, for whom an arrest warrant has been out for arrest since February 23 when she failed to appear in court to answer the charges against her, could face up to three years in prison in her home country, according to Malaysian media.

The arrest and possible extradition to Malaysia has raised concerns among human rights activists and transgender advocates. “The Thai government should realize the grave danger Nur Sajat is in if she is sent back to Malaysia,” said Human Right Watch Thailand researcher Sunai Phasuk, who reminded that the detainee is recognized as a refugee by UNHCR and Thai authorities should not put her in danger. “Thailand is legally obliged to respect the principle of non-refoulement of international law, which prohibits returning any person to a country where they may suffer persecution or serious abuses,” the activist pointed out.

Malaysia has a dual judicial system, with ordinary courts of law and Islamic courts, the latter being responsible for judging matters of the Muslim religion. The Malaysian Constitution stipulates that all ethnic Malay citizens, who constitute more than 60% of the population, must profess Islam.

-Thailand News (TN)

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