Malaysia regulator settles defamation case against Murray Hunter after apology and retraction

SELANGOR, MALAYSIA: A consent order was recorded on 5 February 2026 in the High Court of Malaya at Shah Alam in a defamation suit brought by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) against political commentator Murray Hunter.

In a statement, MCMC said the order was granted by High Court judge Noor Hayati Mat during online proceedings held on the same day.

According to the commission, the consent order followed the resolution of issues arising from publications it described as defamatory.

“The order was recorded in a defamation suit brought by MCMC against Hunter, following the publication of defamatory statements by him against the commission and related parties on his online platforms,” the statement said.

MCMC said the consent order was entered after Hunter issued a public apology and removed the offending publications from his online platforms. The retraction covered several articles published between April and November 2024.

The articles, published on Substack and other online platforms, were deemed by MCMC to be false and defamatory. The commission said the publications had harmed its reputation and misled members of the public.

Murray Hunter retracts MCMC articles under settlement with regulator

As part of the consent order, MCMC said Hunter reaffirmed his undertaking not to repeat the impugned statements or publish similar content concerning the commission and related parties in the future.

“We reiterate that the MCMC views false and defamatory statements very seriously and will continue to take appropriate measures to safeguard its integrity, and to ensure accountability in respect of such reckless and irresponsible publications,” the statement said.

MCMC was represented in the proceedings by Selva Mookiah and Nurshafiqa Balqish Jaffri. Hunter represented himself.

The consent order follows an earlier ruling in the civil proceedings. On 16 October 2025, the High Court in Shah Alam ruled that Hunter was liable for defamation in a suit brought by MCMC.

Hunter has previously stated that the case was conducted without his knowledge and may have proceeded by default. The court’s ruling formed the basis for subsequent steps leading to the consent order.

Before the civil matter was resolved, MCMC had lodged police reports in both Malaysia and Thailand over the publications.

The commission said the reports were made because the articles contained what it described as serious and unfounded allegations.

According to MCMC, the allegations accused the commission of exceeding its regulatory authority and acting under political influence. The commission said these claims had damaged its standing as a regulator.

The publications also alleged censorship, including website blocking and content takedowns in coordination with social media companies. Other claims suggested politically motivated enforcement actions.

One article alleged that MCMC chair Salim Fateh Din had used the commission to protect personal interests. Other pieces described the commission and the police as acting like a “thought police” and undermining democratic norms.

Separately, Thai authorities acted on a criminal defamation complaint filed by MCMC.

On 29 September 2025, Hunter was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok while attempting to travel to Hong Kong.

He was later released on bail of 20,000 baht. However, he remains barred from leaving Bangkok pending the outcome of court proceedings.

According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, Hunter was charged under Section 328 of Thailand’s Criminal Code. The provision addresses defamation by publication and carries potential criminal penalties.

The Thai charges relate to four articles published in April 2024. The content overlaps with material cited in the Malaysian civil proceedings, according to rights groups monitoring the case.

The Thai prosecution has drawn criticism from regional and international rights advocates. Several groups have described the proceedings as an example of a transnational SLAPP, or strategic lawsuit against public participation.

Such actions are widely criticised by civil society groups as using legal processes to intimidate or silence critics, rather than to seek redress for genuine harm.

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand issued a statement on 19 November 2025 expressing “great concern” over the charges. It said the case posed a serious threat to freedom of expression.

“The charges against Murray Hunter should be dropped, and he should be released immediately,” the FCCT said. It also noted that the blog posts were written in English and were unlikely to have had significant impact within Thailand.

On 14 January 2026, Hunter published a statement on Substack in which he publicly apologised and retracted a series of articles about MCMC.

The apology preceded the recording of the consent order in the Malaysian High Court.