PUTRAJAYA should stop harassing international news outlet Al Jazeera over its report on immigration raids during the movement-control order (MCO), said Dr Mahathir Mohamad today.

The Langkawi MP, when debating the royal address in the Dewan Rakyat, said the government should instead answer the concerns raised in the Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown documentary.

“The government should not take such harsh action against Al Jazeera journalists.

“It would be better if the government replies with a report on how it has been treating migrants.”

The documentary looks at how undocumented foreigners, including refugees and children, were rounded up during the MCO despite Putrajaya’s earlier promise not to do so as it encouraged migrants to come forward for Covid-19 testing.

Several journalists with the Qatar-owned broadcaster have been questioned by police over the report, which has been decried as inaccurate and misleading by some Malaysian officials and ministers.

Police are investigating them for possible sedition, defamation and violation of the Communications and Multimedia Act.

The National Film Development Corporation has said Al Jazeera did not have the permits required to film or air the report, including a film production licence and a certificate for filming documentaries. – July 21, 2020.