Swatch sues Malaysia over Pride watch seizures

Swiss watchmaker Swatch says it has begun ineligible proceedings against the Malaysian authorities for seizing LGBTQ-themed watches from its stores.

The determination comes aft officials impounded 172 watches from its rainbow-coloured Pride collection, connected merchantability astatine buying malls crossed Malaysia.

Swatch wants damages and the instrumentality of the watches, worthy $14,000 (£10,700).

Homosexual enactment is amerciable successful Malaysia nether some secular and spiritual laws.

It is punishable by a situation condemnation oregon corporal punishment.

Swatch filed its suit past period astatine the High Court successful Kuala Lumpur. The lawsuit is expected to beryllium heard aboriginal this week.

The Malaysian authorities said the watches were confiscated successful May by the location affairs ministry's instrumentality enforcement portion due to the fact that they featured "LGBT elements".

But Swatch said successful its suit that the watches were "not successful immoderate mode susceptible of causing immoderate disruption to nationalist bid oregon morality oregon immoderate violations of the law".

The steadfast said its trading estimation had been damaged by the seizures, adding that its "business and trading figures besides suffered successful the contiguous aftermath of the seizure for immoderate time".

In its promotional run for the Pride-themed watches, Swatch describes them arsenic "loud, proud, uplifting and bursting with meaning".

The steadfast refers to the Pride emblem arsenic "a awesome of humanity that speaks for each genders and each races".

In its lawsuit, Swatch said the watches "did not beforehand immoderate intersexual activity, but simply a amusive and joyous look of bid and love".

The suit names the location affairs ministry and the authorities of Malaysia arsenic respondents.

Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has yet to remark publically connected the matter.