They can only arrest me in Malaysia, Sarawak Report editor says

Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle Brown claimed that a senior Malaysian politician had joked with her that she could only be arrested if she entered Malaysia.

(Daily Express) – Rewcastle Brown, who had previously claimed that she was at risk of being arrested by the Malaysian authorities for exposing corruption in the country, said she was informed by British authorities that Interpol had rejected a Red Notice application for her – although she did not specify when the application was made.

A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action.

Last month, BBC reported that Malaysian law enforcement officials had twice applied for an Interpol Red Notice for Rewcastle Brown on charges related to her 1MDB reporting. She said Interpol denied the previous two applications.

“As one of your senior ministers jokingly messaged me last night, ‘We can only get our hands on you if you’re in Malaysia’,” she said during an online forum.

“I suppose I can feel partially relieved about that, but I don’t think it’s great news for journalists trying to write, work, and hold (a) powerful government to account in Malaysia.”

She was speaking virtually during a panel session titled “The Pursuit Of Truth: An Insight Into Exposing Corruption” which was organised at the Kuala Lumpur & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.

Last month, a Terengganu court sentenced Rewcastle Brown in absentia to two years in jail for defaming Sultanah Nur Zahirah in a book titled “The Sarawak Report – The Inside Story of the 1MDB Expose”.

Rewcastle Brown, however, said the first time she heard about the criminal defamation case was when an arrest warrant was issued against her in September 2021. The warrant lapsed in May last year.

She said neither she nor her lawyers were informed of any hearing. She also said that she was never formally charged.

“Maybe they want to get me on Interpol’s Red Notice list for the third time,” she told FMT then.