PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s top police official has confirmed that graphic designer and political activist Fahmi Reza faces no formal travel restrictions, following confusion at the airport that prevented his departure to Singapore.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain acknowledged that a procedural error occurred during immigration screening on the previous day, resulting in the activist being wrongly blocked from traveling.
The incident unfolded when Fahmi attempted to catch a Singapore-bound flight from KLIA Terminal 2 to attend a punk music event.
According to his Facebook post, airport immigration staff informed him that federal police headquarters had not authorised his international travel.
Addressing the confusion in an official statement, Razarudin explained that while Fahmi’s name appears on an internal monitoring database due to an active police inquiry, this does not constitute a travel prohibition.
“Our department has not implemented any formal travel restrictions against this individual,“ the police chief stated. “His inclusion on our monitoring system serves as an internal reference tool and represents standard law enforcement protocol.”
The IGP emphasised that Fahmi remains free to travel internationally, provided he complies with immigration regulations and relevant legislation. Police officials are now examining the incident and plan to refine current procedures to prevent similar misunderstandings.
Additionally, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also weighed in on the matter, directing police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the travel disruption. A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting individual liberties while maintaining security and legal compliance.
“The current administration supports personal freedoms, provided they don’t threaten national security or breach existing legislation,“ the PMO declared, adding that police must provide additional clarification regarding the incident.
The Prime Minister’s Office indicated it will continue monitoring developments in this case.
