Malaysian man becomes first to be charged under anti-stalking law: 'women deserve better'
A 37-year-old man accused of stalking a woman over eight years across continents on Thursday became the first person to be charged under Malaysia's new anti-stalking law, after the victim pleaded over social media for action following a years-long ordeal.
At the Shah Alam courthouse in Selangor, Muhamad Safiq Rosli was charged under the new law with repeatedly stalking photographer Acacia Mardiana Daud, 31. He pleaded not guilty.
If convicted, he is liable to up to three years' imprisonment and a fine, under a law that was established in May after years of dogged advocacy by women's protection groups.
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Magistrate Sasha Diana Sabtu also granted Acacia a protection order preventing the accused from contacting the victim and her family throughout the duration of the court proceedings, setting a precedent for future cases.
The accused meanwhile was denied bail after that he absconded from Britain in April - where he is still a wanted man - after being detained by British authorities for harassing Acacia there, whom he allegedly trailed after she moved to London in 2022 to avoid his harassment.
"To this day I don't feel safe in Malaysia. He has tried to find me physically. I told him I was not interested," she said on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.
Her July tweets drew attention to her situation, attracting over 16 million views on Twitter as well as the local press, government ministers, and the Royal Malaysian Police, turning into the first test of the much-touted new anti-stalking law.
In it, she recounted how Safiq - as far back as 2016 - allegedly stalked her using more than 30 Instagram accounts as well as over Twitter and email, delivering unsolicited flowers to her home, sending obscene sexual messages as well as being physically present at events she attended, leading to her to be traumatised.
Despite the new law and attention, she faced further hurdles to get her case heard, with Women, Family and Community Development Minister Nancy Shukri telling her to file a fresh police report so it could be investigated under the new law, though investigations into her previous report in 2018 were still open.
Women's Aid Organisation (WAO), which has been instrumental in making stalking a crime in Malaysia, said they were still pushing for the government to ensure that police officers and front line responders were made aware of stalking as a crime, so victims were not turned away or told that their cases could not be investigated.
"There will be lots of cases that will be reported especially after this charge, so we hope that statistics are being collated," WAO's advocacy director Abinaya Mohan told This Week in Asia. "Only with the relevant data can we truly understand the extent of the situation in Malaysia."
In the first year after South Korea criminalised stalking, she said police there had recorded 5,000 cases and called for more awareness of the crime.
While Malaysian social media users were jubilant over the news, many were appalled that it took Acacia going public and getting viral before her case really took flight.
"Women deserve better. We shouldn't have to beg the general public for help to have our stalkers and assaulters be made to answer for their crimes," said Twitter user The Shazana, who reacted to Acacia's post about the indictment.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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