COMMENT | We, the undersigned organisations and individuals, condemn the recent seizure of Malaysiakini’s laptop and the authorities' demand for access to the media organisation’s content management system (CMS).

Malaysiakini has been informed that failure to comply would constitute an offence. This can be seen as an act of coercion that raises serious questions about media freedom and the law in Malaysia.

These actions, reportedly to aid investigations involving former minister Khairy Jamaluddin, represent a dangerous overreach of authority.

Rather than addressing the root issues of the alleged defamation through effective investigation and appropriate legal channels, the authorities seem to target a media organisation which had...