If you’re caught using a rainbow watch in this country, you could face up to three years in prison

It has been officially announced that if you are caught wearing a rainbow-themed Swatch watch in Malaysia, you could be jailed for up to three years. The government, in its latest repression LGBTQIA+ rightshas forbidden all products they consider “LGBTQIA+ related”.

Any individual who carries, sells, imports or distributes the Swiss watchmaker’s rainbow-themed products, including watches, accessories or related packaging, faces not only the possibility of a prison sentence, but also a fine of up to 20,000 ringgit ($4,375), it reported. CNN.

In a statement released by Malaysia’s Ministry of Home Affairs, the governing body noted: “Swatch products have been banned as they are harmful, or potentially harmful, to morals, public interest and interest national by promoting, supporting and normalizing the LGBTQ movement. which is not accepted by the general Malaysian public.”

The saga comes after an extensive raid on Swatch watches in May by Malaysia’s Ministry of Home Affairs in which authorities seized 172 rainbow-themed watches.

Malaysia has always been an incredibly conservative country, but in recent years its citizens have seen an increasingly strict adoption. anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation. Malaysia’s current federal penal code punishes oral and anal sex with up to 20 years in prison. In addition, each state and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya also have sharia codes that generally criminalize gay sex and gender nonconformity.

Recently, the frontman of The 1975 Matty Healy came under fire after he condemned Malaysia’s homophobic laws and kissed a bandmate on stage. While some applauded Healy’s move, others, including members of the LGBTQIA+ community, noted their concern that the statement could further exacerbate the government’s already heightened hostility toward the country’s queer community. nation

While several prominent gay rights groups in Malaysia have condemned the raid and ban on Swatch watches, it is clear that the Malaysian government is showing no signs of easing its restrictions; if anything, the conservative body is doing it. all in its power to eliminate and eradicate the rights and well-being of all LGBTQIA+ people in the nation.