Front Line Defenders

📍Bangladesh

🚨We are deeply alarmed by the Bangladesh Government’s draft Cyber Protection (Amendment) Act 2026, which poses serious risks to freedom of expression and appears to replicate several regressive provisions of the Digital Security Act of 2018.

The draft law uses vague and overly broad terms including “rumour”, “misinformation”, “digital defamation”, “humiliation”, “bullying” and “fake news”, creating significant scope for misapplication and arbitrary enforcement. New offences also impose severe penalties, including lengthy terms of imprisonment, substantial fines and provisions permitting pre-trial detention for conduct related to online expression.

We strongly urge the Government of Bangladesh to immediately withdraw the draft Cyber Protection (Amendment) Act 2026 in its current form and initiate a genuine, inclusive and time-bound consultation process with human rights defenders, civil society, media professionals and other stakeholders.

🔗 https://zurl.co/HuR1o

📍MALAYSIA

Human rights defenders Amir Hariri Abd Hadi and Chew Chuan Yang (Dobby Chew) have been detained under anti-money laundering legislation after presenting themselves for questioning at Bukit Aman’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department. They are expected to be held at Jinjang police station. Their detention follows the freezing of their personal and organisational bank accounts, the imposition of travel bans, and a police raid on the offices shared by MANDIRI and HAYAT.

Front Line Defenders condemns this escalating judicial harassment and believes it is directly linked to their legitimate and peaceful human rights work. We call on the Malaysian authorities to immediately release Amir Hadi and Dobby Chew, cease the misuse of anti-money laundering legislation against human rights defenders, and ensure that MANDIRI and HAYAT can carry out their work without intimidation or restrictions.

📍TÜRKİYE

From behind bars in Sincan Prison, Kaos GL Executive Board member and trans WHRD Janset Kalan has shared a powerful message with the international trans community. She is among the LGBTIQ+ defenders targeted and imprisoned as part of a recent crackdown titled “My Family is Safe.”

“I’m writing these lines from a cell that is locked from behind at all times, with no access to another person.”

“This is a personal letter from my heart and I really want you to know that I don’t feel alright. I’m upset, angry, lonely, anxious, fearful, disappointed, emotional.”

Front Line Defenders stands in solidarity with Janset Kalan and all those targeted in the coordinated crackdown on LGBTIQ+ civil society in Türkiye. We reiterate our call for their immediate and unconditional release.

Kaos GL Executive Board member and trans activist Janset Kalan, who was imprisoned as part of the “My Family is Safe” operations, sent a message to the international trans community from Sincan Prison. She said:

“I would like to direct my letter to the trans community around the world. This is not only because I’m firstly a member of such distinct and marvellous community but also because I hope to bring further attention to the T in LGBTI+.”

Thanking those who have shown solidarity with her, Kalan said, “Thank you for all your support, solidarity and thank you just because who you are.”

The full story is on KaosGL2.org

Join us in a side event that brings together women human rights defenders who live at the intersections of gender, climate and conflict and whose stories show that these issues need to be tackled in a coordinated, holistic way.

🗓️Thursday 24 September
⏱️13:00-14:00 CEST
📍Room XI, Palais des Nations, Geneva
More information ⏭️ Link in the bio

📍MALAYSIA

🚨On 10 September 2026, the personal bank accounts of HRDs Amir Hariri Abd Hadi and Chew Chuan Yang were frozen under anti-money laundering legislation. The organisational accounts of human rights organisations, MANDIRI and HAYAT, were also frozen.

In the days prior, the HRDs discovered that they are the subject of a travel ban, restricting them from leaving Malaysia. To date, they have not been notified of an investigation or any charges against them.

Chew Chuan Yang (Dobby Chew) is a Malaysian HRD, Finance Director of MANDIRI and the Chief Executive Officer of HAYAT, a human rights organisation working on the abolition of the death penalty and the rights of people facing ex*****on.

Amir Hariri Abd Hadi, (Amir Hadi) is a Malaysian HRD and Executive Director of MANDIRI, a youth-led civil society organisation whose work promotes human rights, youth and student empowerment, democratic participation, and anti-corruption advocacy.

Front Line Defenders believes these measures are directly connected to the peaceful and legitimate human rights work carried out by the HRDs and organisations, including their public human rights advocacy against corruption.

FLD calls on the authorities to immediately lift the freezing orders and the travel restrictions imposed on both HRDs.

🔗https://zurl.co/emyyJ

📍Iran

🚨On 8 September 2026, human rights defender Ahmadreza Haeri, was released from Qezel-Hesar prison after serving a sentence issued in October 2022. He was in prison for over three years as a result of his human rights work.

He had been sentenced for “gathering and collusion with the intention of acting against national security” and eight months for “propaganda against state” as a result of his peaceful human rights work.

Front Line Defenders welcomes the release of human rights defender Ahmadreza Haeri and calls on the Iranian authorities to end the judicial harassment against him in connection with his peaceful human rights work.

🔗 https://zurl.co/xANNT

📍China

🚨As journalist and prominent activist Sophia Huang Xueqin approaches the end of her unjust five-year prison sentence, we call on Chinese authorities to ensure her immediate release and guarantee that, once released, she can carry out her journalism and human rights work without surveillance, harassment, retaliation or other restrictions.

Sophia Huang Xueqin was arrested on 19 September 2021 and convicted in June 2024 of “inciting subversion of state power”, based solely on the permissible exercise of her human rights, including the rights to freedom of the press and expression as well as association.

While she is expected to be released on 18 September, we are concerned that she will face restrictions after leaving prison.

We call for Sophia Huang Xueqin’s immediate release and for Chinese authorities to guarantee her rights to freedom of expression, press, association and peaceful assembly, and ensure she is not subjected to surveillance, harassment, intimidation, retaliation or restrictions on her movement and communications.

https://zurl.co/bCSyd

📍Türkiye

🚨We condemn the large-scale police raids and detentions targeting LGBTI activists and human rights defenders, organisations and community spaces across Türkiye.

On 12 and 13 September, at least 162 people were detained, including approximately 50-60 LGBTI human rights defenders and activists. The operation primarily targeted members of the boards of directors and auditors of LGBTI+ associations.

The scale, timing and selection of targets indicate a coordinated attack on organised LGBTI+ civil society in Türkiye and an escalation of a concerted attack on LGBTI activism and community support.

We call for the unconditional release of all persons detained for their human rights work and for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association or peaceful organising, and for an end to measures obstructing the fundamental rights to freedom of association and assembly.

🔗https://zurl.co/iC1fq