Malaysia is one of the original founding states of The Hague Group, alongside countries like South Africa, Colombia, Bolivia, and Namibia. Malaysia was among the countries that formally committed to the immediate implementation of the six concrete measures outlined in the Joint Statement from the Bogotá Emergency Conference on Palestine in July 2025. In line with these measures, Malaysia has committed to supporting the use of universal jurisdiction mandates to prosecute individuals responsible for serious international crimes. A decisive first step to this end would be to amend immigration and visa policies to ensure that suspected war criminals, irrespective of nationality, are denied passage or safe haven.
Travel bans and visa denials are widely used tools in many jurisdictions to prevent the entry of individuals considered security risks or associated with serious wrongdoing. Countries such as France, Australia, and the United States not only possess legal mechanisms to refuse entry on grounds related to national security, terrorism, human rights abuses, or risks to public order, but also routinely apply these measures in practice. Australia, in particular, has exercised these powers in cases involving individuals suspected of serious international crimes or whose presence is deemed likely to incite social discord.
Notable cases include heightened scrutiny and visa questioning of Israeli Defence Forces personnel Omer and Ella Berger over possible involvement in war crimes, the refusal of a visa to former Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked on public-order grounds, and calls by human-rights organisations to cancel the visa of Doron Almog, alleged to have committed war crimes during his military service. These examples illustrate how immigration and border-control mechanisms can be applied to restrict the movement of individuals linked to grave offences or risks to public safety.
An existing travel ban already restricts entry for Israeli passport holders. This should include Israeli nationals who hold additional passports, preventing them from circumventing the ban by entering under an alternate nationality. To maintain consistency and uphold the principles of justice and international accountability, the restriction should now be extended to all individuals—regardless of nationality—who have committed or facilitated violent acts in Gaza, the West Bank or any other part of the world, ensuring that perpetrators of serious crimes cannot find safe haven.
We believe this is an exemplary and much-needed step by the international community to bring the perpetrators of genocide to account, and we are convinced that Malaysia, as an active global voice for peace, has both the moral authority and the responsibility to ensure that such individuals are denied entry into its territory.