Lawyer Siti Kasim says getting death, rape threats

KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 — Lawyer and activist Siti Kassim has been threatened with rape and murder over her reported stance on the lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual (LGBT) community, according to the New Straits Times.

The news portal last night reported the Bar Council member as saying she was allegedly threatened over an article published online that she said misquoted her. She did not identify the offending article or media outlet.

In her police report over the threats received, Siti Kassim alleged that she first received an online death threat on July 3 that appended the said article, followed by another on July 19 by the same person.

The lawyer alleged that responses posted to the online threats then included calls for her to be beheaded, raped, and attacked with acid.

“There were Netizens who replied, saying that ‘they want to’ (take up the challenge), and they proceeded with exchanging WhatAapp numbers, while others said that they should not be discussing the matter on the website as anyone could read it,” she told the NST.

“Clearly these people are planning something, if the police did not do anything then my blood is going to be on the police’s hand.”

The lawyer lodged her report with the Sentul police.

Siti Kassim regularly speaks out against Islamic authorities here, and is vocal proponent of Orang Asli rights.

She was previously arrested for allegedly obstructing religious enforcers during a raid on a suspected transgender beauty pageant.