Malaysian social media personality and beauty entrepreneur Nur Sajat accused JAIS officers of sexually assaulting her during an interrogation earlier this year when she was arrested over public complaints.
The 36-year-old trans woman has been granted asylum in Australia after her personal safety was threatened by religious authorities as well as the Malaysian government. During the incident, as revealed by Sajat herself in the New York Times interview, that at least three men had physically assaulted her and some of them even groped her breasts, which was witnessed by Sajat's mother herself.
When confronted, the officers allegedly said the act was "OK" since Sajat was a man. "They think it is justified to touch my private parts and my breasts because they perceive me as a male person,” Sajat continued. "They didn't treat me with any compassion or humanity."
Transhuman rights in Malaysia are regrettably close to none, and they are often subjected to public ridicule and abuse. Nur Sajat is one of the very few lucky ones who has managed to escape the inhuman treatment, but many others aren't as lucky as her.
We need to be better.
