Rozanna Latiff
July 21, 2020
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Malaysian court on Wednesday will hear a bid to set aside caning sentences handed down to 27 Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar, lawyers said, a punishment that rights groups have decried as vicious and tantamount to torture.
Muslim-majority Malaysia has long been a favoured destination for Rohingya seeking a better life after escaping a 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar and, more recently, refugee camps in Bangladesh.
But Malaysia, which does not recognise refugee status, has recently turned away boats and detained hundreds of Rohingya, saying it can not take in more migrants because of a struggling economy as a result of the novel coronavirus.