Swiss watchmaker Swatch has sued Malaysia over the seizure of watches bearing LGBTQ rainbow colors, a lawyer for the company said on Monday. Last May, Swatch stores located in shopping centers across the country, including in the capital Kuala Lumpur, were raided by a police unit from the Ministry of the Interior, who announced the seizure of “watches including LGBT elements”.
The LGBTQ community faces discriminatory measures in Malaysia where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by prosecution and corporal punishment. Swatch’s lawyer, Nizam Bashir, told AFP the complaint was addressed to the Malaysian interior minister and government and would be heard in the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Thursday.
In this complaint, filed on June 23, Swatch believes that “its commercial reputation has been damaged” by these seizures. “The watches do not promote sexual activity, but (are) simply a fun and joyful expression of peace and love,” adds the group’s complaint which claims its activities were affected immediately after the seizure.
The Swiss watchmaker is also asking to recover the 172 watches, estimated at $14,000. On condition of anonymity, an official from the Ministry of the Interior had justified these seizures in May by arguing that the watches seized bore the letters “LGBT” and the six colors symbols of this community, instead of the seven colors of the ‘Rainbow. Contacted by AFP, Interior Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail was not immediately available for comment.
