BANGKOK: Malaysia has withdrawn a criminal defamation complaint lodged in Thailand against an Australian writer, his lawyer said on Tuesday, after he agreed to apologize and take down articles deemed defamatory.
Human rights and press freedom groups condemned the charges brought last year against Murray Hunter following a complaint from Malaysia’s communications regulator, calling its lawsuit a cross-border threat to freedom of expression.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) filed the suit against Hunter, who lives in Thailand, over four articles published on his Substack blog in April 2024.
The commission alleged Hunter’s writing, which accused it of abuse of power, illegally blocking critical websites and “subverting democracy,” were defamatory.
Hunter was arrested in September 2025 at a Bangkok airport while attempting to board a flight, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, which represented his legal defense.
