On 16 February 2026, the criminal defamation proceedings involving Australian academic, journalist, and writer Mr. Murray Hunter were formally settled and resolved after the complainant, acting on behalf of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), withdrew his complaint as part of the Settlement Agreement entered into between Mr. Hunter and the MCMC on 12 January 2026.
The resolution brings to an end parallel civil and criminal proceedings in Malaysia and Thailand, respectively, eliminating the risk of imprisonment, restoring Hunter’s travel documents, and enabling him to continue his writing, with his Substack now accessible again in Malaysia.
Origins of the Case and Regulatory Actions in Malaysia
In April 2024, Mr. Murray Hunter wrote articles that were critical of the MCMC. In response, the MCMC initiated civil defamation proceedings against him in Malaysia.
Additionally, in 2024, the MCMC ordered internet service providers in Malaysia to block public access to Mr. Hunter’s Substack, restricting access to his reporting domestically.
On 15 October 2025, the Shah Alam High Court reportedly found Mr. Hunter liable for defamation in a civil suit brought by the MCMC. Hunter stated that he had not been notified of the proceedings prior to the judgment and had not received official documentation related to the case, which was conducted in his absence.
Criminal Proceedings Initiated in Thailand
Parallel to the Malaysian civil litigation, a representative of the MCMC filed a criminal defamation complaint in Thailand against Mr. Hunter in connection with four Substack articles published in April 2024. On 27 March 2025, the Bangkok South Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Hunter.
Under the Criminal Procedure Code, an arrest warrant may only be issued only where the alleged offense carries a maximum penalty exceeding three years’ imprisonment, or where there is reasonable cause to believe the suspect may abscond, tamper with evidence, or otherwise pose risks to the proceedings. Because libel carries a maximum penalty of only two years, Mr. Hunter has a habitual residence, and he did not receive a police summons, it is unclear what legal ground justified issuing an arrest warrant in this case.
In September 2025, Mr. Hunter was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport, charged under Section 328 (defamation by publication) of the Thai Criminal Code, detained overnight, and released on 20,000 baht (≈ USD 625) bail. The prosecutor formally indicted him in November 2025, where he initially faced a potential sentence of up to eight years’ imprisonment and a fine of 800,000 baht—a maximum of two years’ imprisonment and 200,000 baht per Substack article—if convicted.
Settlement and Resolution of Thai Criminal Proceedings
On 12 January 2026, Mr. Hunter and the MCMC reached a settlement agreement to resolve both the Thai and Malaysian cases.
The following day, Mr. Hunter issued a statement and retracted the disputed publications, stating:
“I acknowledge that my comments and articles about MCMC and its related persons can be read to be inaccurate, misleading and have led to misunderstandings.”
On 4 February 2026, the Malaysian High Court recorded a consent order finalizing the settlement between the parties, formally bringing the Malaysian civil proceedings to a close.
On 16 February 2026, the Thai criminal defamation proceedings were formally settled. The settlement results in the termination of criminal prosecution without imprisonment and removes the possibility of further criminal liability related to the publications. Following the settlement, Mr. Hunter no longer faces the threat of imprisonment arising from the case. Additionally, his passport was returned to him. During the proceedings, the confiscation of his passport had significantly restricted his daily life, including his ability to travel and access banking services in Thailand. The return of his travel documents restores his freedom of movement and ability to resume professional and personal activities.
Subsequent to the resolution of the case, Hunter’s Substack became accessible again in Malaysia. The restoration of access effectively reverses the earlier blocking order and enables his reporting to reach Malaysian readers once more.
Transnational Legal Harassment Concerns
The criminal defamation proceedings in Thailand, triggered by complaints by a foreign state regulator, reflects a concerning pattern of transnational legal harassment in which state or state-linked actors pursue critics beyond their borders. Hunter’s articles criticized the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and its leadership on matters of public interest, yet the cross-jurisdictional escalation of complaints exposed him to custodial criminal penalties in a separate legal system. Such cross-border Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) raise concerns regarding forum shopping and the weaponization of other countries’ domestic legal systems to suppress criticism.
The resolution of this case therefore reinforces the urgent need for legal reforms to prevent the misuse of criminal defamation provisions in Thailand and to guard against the weaponization of domestic legal systems in cross-border efforts to suppress protected speech.
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