Lawyers for Liberty’s Proceedings Against Singapore’s Minister for Home Affairs Struck Out by High Court of Malaysia

On 24 January 2020, Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) announced that it had commenced proceedings in the High Court of Malaysia against Singapore’s Minister for Home Affairs, in respect of a correction direction issued to LFL under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Act 18 of 2019) (“the Act”) on 22 January 2020. The correction direction required LFL to insert a correction notice at the top of an article published on its website on 16 January 2020, which contained untrue, baseless and preposterous allegations about judicial executions conducted in Changi Prison. LFL’s legal action sought, inter alia , a declaration that the correction direction was null and void, and that the Act was unenforceable against them.

LFL never served its court papers on the Minister. Instead, the papers subsequently expired and, for reasons which LFL did not make known, LFL discontinued its applications to renew the papers, and to serve them on the Minister in Singapore. Accordingly, LFL’s action was struck out by the High Court of Malaysia on 21 September 2020.

LFL’s conduct in commencing its legal action, publicising the same, and then failing to prosecute the matter, leading to its striking out by the High Court of Malaysia, is consistent with how LFL has conducted itself so far. LFL made sensational allegations against the Singapore Prison Service, and the treatment of prisoners, and promised to put forward evidence. But nothing was put forward to substantiate its wild and completely untrue allegations.

LFL’s legal action was baseless