Event Summary
On 15 October 2025, the Kuala Lumpur High Court granted activist and graphic artist Fahmi Reza leave to pursue a judicial review against the Home Minister, Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Immigration Director-General, and the Malaysian Government over the 7 June travel restriction imposed on him. The application also challenges the authorities’ decision to place his name on a “movement monitoring list” maintained by the police and Immigration Department, which subjects him to questioning each time he travels overseas. The restriction was linked to an ongoing investigation into a satirical artwork criticising Sabah Governor Tun Musa Aman.
The June incident followed an earlier denial of entry into Sabah on 29 May 2025, when Fahmi was stopped upon arrival at Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Days later, on 7 June, he was prevented from flying to Singapore after being informed that “police clearance” had not been granted. The following day, the IGP denied any official travel ban but admitted Fahmi was under movement monitoring. On 12 June, after Fahmi flagged discrepancies in his travel status between the Immigration Department’s English and Malay portals, the Department clarified that he could travel overseas but not to Sabah, attributing the inconsistency to system updates. The police and Immigration Department did not issue an apology to Fahmi for the restriction imposed. Both the May and June travel bans were linked to police investigations on the same satirical artwork.
In his affidavit, Fahmi argued that placing his name on a movement monitoring list constituted restrictions on his liberty, privacy, and freedom of movement. He maintained that the authorities had no lawful power to impose such monitoring or subject him to questioning at airports, in the absence of active investigation or pending criminal processes against him. Fahmi also contended that the authorities’ lack of transparency and arbitrary enforcement breached his rights under Article 8(1) of the Federal Constitution. Case management is fixed for 30 October 2025.