An Australian man arrested in Thailand on a defamation charge that he says originated with Malaysia's government, says he is a victim of transnational repression, in which Southeast Asia countries cooperate in seizing critics. Concerns about cross-border repression have been documented by groups such as Human Rights Watch and UN rights experts. In a July report they expressed "profound concern regarding the reported rise in transnational repression ... to deter, silence or punish dissent, criticism or human rights advocacy". Hunter blamed the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission for lodging the criminal defamation charge against him. A joint statement issued by Malaysia's Centre for Independent Journalism and the free speech organisation PEN Malaysia condemned the arrest.