Rayhan Kabir to be deported from Malaysia without charges

The Malaysian police did not bring any charge against young Bangladeshi migrant Rayhan Kabir who was arrested in Malaysia for appearing in a controversial Al Jazeera documentary.

Rayhan's lawyer in Malaysia Sumita Santini Kisna and Selvaraja Chinniah informed the matter to Brac Migration Programme. 

Shariful Hasan, head of the Brac Migration Programme, confirmed the matter to The Business Standard on Wednesday.  

Sumita Santini Kisna said, "No charges have been filed against our client. He will be deported as soon as his Covid-19 test is done, and the flight ticket is ready." 

Before his deportation, Rayhan would be kept at Putrajaya Immigration Centre. And from there, he will be sent straight to the airport, she said.  

Earlier, a Malaysian court granted a 13-day remand for Rayhan, which ended Tuesday. 

The Immigration Department of the country issued a wanted notice against Rayhan, and he was arrested on 24 July following a two-week manhunt.  

In line with revoking his work permit and the impending deportation, he has been blacklisted from ever entering Malaysia again.

On 3 July 2020, Al Jazeera released the documentary, "Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown," that documented the mistreatment towards the emigrant workers by the Malaysian authorities under the movement control order implemented to respond to Covid-19.

It detailed how the Malaysian authorities, namely the Immigration Department and police, conducted raids in areas heavily occupied by emigrants and refugee communities.

Following these raids, those arrested were taken to immigration detention centres that are well known to be cramped, unhygienic, and poorly maintained. 

Some detention centres also saw spikes in cases of Covid-19 infections.

Mohamad Rayhan Kabir, a Bangladeshi migrant worker in Malaysia, was featured in the documentary. He expressed his concerns about the Malaysian government's actions.