by Hafizur Rahman
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | July 27, 2026
At least 465 people died in Malaysian immigration detention centres between 2021 and 2025, according to figures disclosed in parliament by Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. The dead included 393 men, 60 women and 12 children.
A further 31 people died between January 1 and June 30, 2026, bringing the documented number of deaths since 2021 to at least 496.
The figures have drawn renewed attention following the detention of more than 100 Rohingya asylum-seekers, including women and children, after they gathered outside the office of the United Nations refugee agency in Kuala Lumpur seeking protection.
The deaths in immigration custody occurred amid longstanding concerns about overcrowding, inadequate sanitation, unsafe water and limited access to timely medical treatment inside Malaysia’s detention facilities.
Government records identified illnesses including sepsis, leptospirosis and meningitis among the reported causes of death. Fortify Rights has warned that poor sanitation, contaminated water, overcrowding and delayed treatment can make otherwise preventable or treatable illnesses more dangerous.
Government figures cited by the organisation show that approximately 22,045 people are being held in immigration facilities with a stated capacity of around 21,530.
Former detainees have reported serious difficulties obtaining healthcare, along with inadequate food, limited access to clean drinking water and unsanitary living conditions that aggravated existing health problems.
The Malaysian government does not routinely publish detailed information about individual deaths in immigration custody. Figures are instead released intermittently through parliamentary responses and official statements, limiting independent scrutiny and accountability.
More Than 100 Rohingya Taken into State Custody
The risks associated with Malaysia’s detention system have become particularly urgent after authorities detained more than 100 Rohingya asylum-seekers, including women and children, outside UNHCR’s Kuala Lumpur office on Monday evening.
Reuters journalists at the scene witnessed the entire group and their belongings being taken away in four police trucks at around 8:30 p.m. on July 27.
An unnamed police official told Reuters that the group had been transported to Kuala Lumpur police headquarters for “further checks.” Authorities had not publicly disclosed the precise number detained, their individual documentation status or what would happen following the checks.
It also remained unclear how many members of the group possessed UNHCR documents, whether anyone had subsequently been transferred to immigration detention, whether families were being kept together and whether UNHCR representatives or lawyers had been granted access to them.
The available information does not establish that the group has entered deportation proceedings.
The Rohingya families had gathered outside the UNHCR office after travelling overnight from the northern state of Penang. They told Reuters that local residents had forced them from their homes on Sunday and that they had travelled to Kuala Lumpur seeking assistance and protection from the UN refugee agency.
Penang police presented a different account, saying the Rohingya had moved “voluntarily” with assistance from state and federal authorities. Seberang Perai Utara district police chief Anuar Abdul Rahman said the transfer followed tensions related to what he described as economic and territorial competition after an increase in the local Rohingya population.
Neither account has been independently established in full.
The removal followed a warning from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim earlier on Monday. Anwar said the gathering had caused public concern and instructed police, immigration officials and other agencies to take action. He also warned that people without valid permits could be placed in immigration detention.
The detention of everyone present therefore marked a significant escalation from the government’s earlier enforcement warning.
Syed Kasim, one of the Rohingya present outside the office before the removal, told Reuters that he had arrived with his wife and children in the early hours of Monday but had not received assistance.
“Nobody helped with our problem, nobody understands,” he said, adding that he had lived in Malaysia for 20 years.
Human Rights Watch criticised the authorities’ response. Bryony Lau, the organisation’s deputy Asia director, said Rohingya refugees in Malaysia already lived under the constant threat of raids and arrest, which had been worsened by a recent surge in online hostility.
“The Malaysian government should prioritize protecting refugees who have been evicted from their homes instead of terrifying them further by detaining them,” she said.
UNHCR’s Kuala Lumpur office had not publicly responded to the mass detention at the time of the Reuters report. The agency had previously expressed concern about increasing hate speech, disinformation and dehumanising narratives targeting Rohingya and other refugees in Malaysia, warning that online hostility could lead to harassment and discrimination in everyday life.
Approximately 126,000 Rohingya were registered with UNHCR in Malaysia at the end of February, although rights organisations believe that many others remain undocumented.
Immediate Protection Concerns
Malaysia is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not formally recognise refugees under its domestic legal system. UNHCR documentation therefore does not provide complete protection against arrest or immigration detention.
This leaves Rohingya refugees particularly vulnerable. Many fled systematic persecution and violence in Myanmar and cannot safely return because of continuing conflict and statelessness.
Any attempt to deport members of the detained group would raise serious concerns about the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to a country where they face persecution, torture or other grave harm.
The authorities have yet to clarify the exact location and legal status of the Rohingya families removed from outside the UNHCR office. Immediate questions include whether children remain with their parents and whether those detained have access to UNHCR, legal counsel, interpreters and independent protection organisations.
Against the documented deaths and reported conditions inside Malaysia’s immigration detention facilities, the government should disclose how many Rohingya are being held, the legal grounds for holding them and whether anyone has been transferred to immigration custody.
Authorities should also guarantee that no member of the group will be deported without an individual assessment of the dangers they could face upon return.
Sources: Reuters, Malaysian parliamentary disclosures, Fortify Rights and Human Rights Watch.
