Malaysia to criminalise cyberbullying after influencer Rajeswary Appahu’s suicide

Beauty content and positivity influencer Rajeswary Appahu was found dead in her home on July 5, a day after she filed a police report claiming she had received death and sexual assault threats online.

The government is drafting amendments to the country’s penal code to include specific provisions on cyberbullying as current laws do not provide sufficient legal protection for cyberbullying victims, according to Law Minister Azalina Othman Said.

“The proposed amendments, besides providing an interpretation of cyberbullying, will classify cyberbullying as a specific offence in Malaysia,” Azalina said in a statement.

The minister said authorities were also drafting a new law that would place the burden of responsibility on online service providers to manage security issues and cyberbullying, specifically on harmful content that involved child victims.

The proposed law would grant authorities the power to “protect all internet users, especially children,” she said.

Truck driver B Sathiskumar, one of the two suspects charged in connection with Rajeswary’s cyberbullying complaint, pleaded guilty to a count of making obscene remarks with the intention of hurting others, according to local media.

He faces a fine up to 50,000 ringgit (US$10,700), a maximum of one year in jail or both. The court postponed his sentencing pending a trial for a second charge of posting lewd comments aimed at outraging the modesty of the victim’s mother.

The second suspect, Shalini Periasamy, pleaded guilty to a charge of using vulgar language to incite anger and disturb peace. Shalini posted videos of her issuing threats towards Rajeswary on her TikTok account.

Shalini was ordered to pay the maximum 100 ringgit fine for her crime, which was framed as a minor