Malaysian government ordered to return LGBT Swatch watches

A court ruled the government, which said the watches had "LGBT elements", did not have authority to seize them.

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The government said it took the timepieces from the Swiss company because they featured "LGBT elements" - homosexuality is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia and punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

However, a court ruled the government did not have a warrant to confiscate the items and a law prohibiting their sale was only passed later, making the seizure unlawful.

Malaysia's Home Affairs minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the government's legal team will need to "examine the basis of the judgement" before deciding to appeal against the order.

He said the government "must respect the decision, or else it would be viewed as contempt of court".

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c245jrdpmjgo

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