Numan Afifi
Cases- Location of case in SG report
- 2019-068-001
- Relevant SG report
- Year of the report
- 2019
- From Country
- Country Geolocation
Latitude: 4.210484
Longitude: 101.975766
- Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
- Malaysia
- From Region
- UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
- UN Special Procedures: Thematic
- Dates of prior UN action
- 10 May 2019
- Type of record
- Named individual
- Gender
- Male
- Was the victim a foreign national?
- No
- Was the victim a minor?
- No
- Individual's/organization's activity
LGBT+ human rights defender; associated with the PELANGI Campaign
- Type of rights defended
- LGBTIQ rights
- Was the victim a civil servant, member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
- No
- Reported trigger of reprisal
connection with his participation in the 40th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva; has worked with the Coalition of Malaysian NGOs (COMANGO) during Malaysia’s UPR process.
On 14 March 2019 in Geneva, Mr. Numan Afifi made a statement in the Human Rights Council on behalf of 12 Malaysian organizations working on sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Engagement with UN body
- UN Human Rights Council: UPR
- Dates of engagement
- 14 March 2019
- Type of attempted engagement
- Participation in meeting on UN premises
- Dates of mentioned reprisals
- 16 April 2019; 26 April 2019; 21 April 2019
- Location of mentioned reprisals
- Bukit Aman
- Reprisal information
On 16 April 2019, Mr. Numan Afifi was summoned for interrogation by the Classified Criminal Investigation Unit (D5) and asked to present himself to the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) headquarters in Bukit Aman on 26 April 2019, where he was questioned with a lawyer present.
were harassed and criticized online for ‘interfering’ in issues of freedom of religion and belief in Malaysia and spreading incorrect information at the Human Rights Council. On 21 April 2019, the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (JAKIM), a unit of the Religious Affairs Ministry under the Prime Minister’s Office, released a statement denying claims made by Mr. Afifi and aligning itself with statements made by the Prime Minister to the effect that the lifestyles of LGBT+ persons will not be accepted in Malaysia.
- Types of reprisals suffered
- Defamation / Defamation campaign
- Online harassment
- Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
- Alleged/likely perpetrators
- Both state and non-state actors
- Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
- No
- Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
- No
- Which State raised the case at the UN and when?
BENELUX June 2019 HRC 40 Item 5
- Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
- No
- Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
- No
- Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
- No
- How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
- 0