In a statement, LFL called on communications minister Fahmi Fadzil to take full responsibility for the report, saying his repeated denials that freedom of speech was being stifled by the current government “ring hollow in light of this oppressive conduct”.

Yesterday, the MCMC said it had lodged the report against blogger Murray Hunter over his claim that the internet regulator was a “politicised institution” and had acted in excess of its jurisdiction on grounds that it “seemed to be defamatory”.

It was responding to Hunter’s article titled “Chegubard’s arrest and charging is a warning to all Malaysians”, published yesterday.

LFL director Zaid Malek said a public body funded by taxpayers had no business complaining of defamation.

“They must accept public criticism, even if it is harsh, as they are public servants,” he added.

“If any criticism is unfounded, it is open to them to respond and clarify. It is not open to them to file criminal complaints against legitimate criticism … It is highly unfair for a member of the public to be faced with a police complaint from a major public body such as MCMC.

“Freedom of speech and expression, protected under Article 10(1)(a) of the Federal Constitution, is one of the pillars of our democracy. This right must be especially protected, especially when the public voices dissent or criticism against the government or public institutions.”

MCMC said Hunter’s article went against Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act, which deals with offences linked to the use of network facilities to transmit communication “deemed to be offensive” or which “could cause annoyance to another person”.

It said Hunter should have filed a complaint through official channels if he had issues with MCMC.

When contacted yesterday, Hunter said MCMC was “getting ridiculous” and claimed that his Substack – a platform that supports subscription newsletters – had been blocked in Malaysia.