SWISS watchmaker Swatch has filed a lawsuit against the Malaysian government for seizing timepieces from its LGBT-themed Pride collection, the company’s lawyer said today.  

LGBT people face repeated discrimination in Malaysia, where homosexuality is outlawed.  

In May, Swatch stores in 11 shopping malls across Malaysia were raided by the Home Ministry’s law enforcement unit, which said it confiscated “watches with LGBT elements”.  

Swatch’s lawyer Nizam Bashir told AFP that the lawsuit, which named the Home Ministry and the government of Malaysia as respondents, will be heard at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.  

Swatch said in the lawsuit filed on June 23 that its “trading reputation has been damaged” due to the seizures.  

“The watches did not promote any sexual activity, but merely a fun and joyous expression of peace and love,” it said.  

In seeking damages, Swatch said its “business and trading figures also suffered in the immediate aftermath of the seizure for some time”.  

Swatch is also seeking the return of 172 watches worth US$14,000 (RM63,420) from its rainbow-coloured Pride collection.  

The watches were seized because they bore the letters “LGBT” and had six colours instead of the seven in a rainbow, a ministry official told AFP in May.  

The six-colour rainbow Pride flag is one of the most well-known LGBT symbols globally.  

According to the summons notice, the seizure was based on the Printing Presses and Publications Act of 1984, which critics have condemned as draconian.  

Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail could not immediately be reached for comment. – AFP, July 17, 2023.