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Interpol rejects Malaysia’s request for red notice on Sarawak Report editor

Interpol has turned down Putrajaya's request for Sarawak Report editor and founder Clare Rewcastle-Brown to be put on its wanted list, the whistleblower website claimed. The site published a letter by Interpol secretary-general Jurgen Stock to Jago Russell, who heads NGO Fair Trials International. In the letter dated August 27, Interpol confirmed the Malaysian government making the request, but said it was rejected on August 9. It also requested that member countries not use Interpol's channels regarding the particular case. The government had sought to extradite London-based Brown (pic) to face charges in Malaysia for allegedly threatening parliamentary democracy in Malaysia, after Sarawak Report published a series of exposes on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Putrajaya also blocked local access to the website recently, though many Malaysians had since found ways to circumvent the block. "The news that the international policing organisation has rejected Malaysia’s attempt to use its powers and authority to clamp down on legitimate expression and criticism of corruption in the country comes as a serious blow to the Malaysian Prime Minister’s own authority on the eve of the anti-corruption march by the Bersih movement this weekend," Sarawak Report said. It said that the decision further highlights the failure of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to understand how others view his administration. – August 29, 2015.