CALL FOR ACTION AND SOLIDARITY
We invite you to watch and share the film Chili Powder and Thinner and to sign and share the petition to stop the intimidation in Malaysia. Chili Powder and Thinner is a four-minute animated short film from Malaysia, based on a real-life experience of torture and deaths in police custody.
On July 2, Anna Har, the festival director of FreedomFilmFest Malaysia, and cartoonist Amin Landak were summoned by the police for questioning over the production and screening of Chili Powder and Thinner. On the same day, the police raided the offices of FreedomFilmFest and Amin’s home, confiscating their computers and other related equipment. On July 6, 2021, three members of the human rights group SUARAM—Sevan Doraisamy, Mohammad Alshatri, Kua Kia Soong—and a guest panel speaker from Misi Solidariti, Sharon Wah, were also called in for questioning by the police in connection to the film.
We view these investigations as an attempt to intimidate and harass human rights defenders, including artists and storytellers. We encourage you to sign the petition, initiated by the Human Rights Film Network, to call for an end to the investigation and intimidation of FreedomFilmFest and others involved: bit.ly/3xy2lH6.