A court in Malaysia has ordered British journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown, sentenced in absentia to two years in jail for defamation, to present herself in person if she wants to appeal. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls once again on the Malaysian judiciary to overturn this abusive sentence, which seems intended as a warning to any other journalist seeking to expose corruption.

Rewcastle Brown, the editor-in-chief of online news site Sarawak Report, has specialised in investigating corruption cases in Malaysia including one of the biggest financial scandals in the country’s history, known as 1MDB. She was sentenced in February to two years in prison on a charge of “defaming” the wife of a political figure in a book on the case, without even being informed of the hearing. 

Despite being tried in absentia then, the High Court in Terengganu said on May 7 that a scheduled case management hearing could not go ahead without her attending. The next case management hearing has been set for June 6, according to local media.

“The case against Clare Rewcastle Brown has been Orwellian from the start. It was unacceptable to put her on trial and convict her without giving her the right to defend herself, and it is unacceptable as well to seek to impede her right to appeal. We call on the Terengganu High Court to put right this injustice, and stand in solidarity with Rewcastle Brown and all journalists who face judicial harassment in the country.”