ISTAC Lecture Featuring Abdul Razak Baginda Draws Pushback, Including From IIUM Staff
IIUM’s Academic Staff Association is calling for the establishment of a reasonable vetting protocol for future speakers.
- ISTAC-IIUM's invitation of Abdul Razak Baginda as a speaker has drawn criticism from the public and IIUM staff.
- The Academic Staff Association raised concerns over Abdul Razak's civil liability finding in connection with Altantuya Shaaribuu's death.
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The decision by the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC-IIUM) to invite former political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda as a speaker has drawn criticism from the public as well as members of staff at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).
The Academic Staff Association (ASA) IIUM has raised concerns over Abdul Razak’s appearance at a lecture titled “Asia’s Heroes and Villains: A Study of Leadership.” The association said it was not seeking to stop the event, but believed the subject matter and Abdul Razak’s legal history warranted a more balanced academic discussion.
“We recognise IIUM’s tradition of hosting speakers with diverse backgrounds and do not seek to prevent this lecture from proceeding.
“However, we note that Mr.Razak Baginda has been found civilly liable by the courts in connection with the death of Altantuya Shaaribuu, a finding upheld by the Court of Appeal in January 2026.
“Given the sensitivity of this history and the lecture’s own theme of leadership and accountability, we believe the event would benefit from a more balanced platform,” ASA’s statement read.
ASA proposed several measures if the university proceeds with the lecture, including inviting a co-speaker or discussant to provide a different perspective, holding a structured question-and-answer session, and allowing the moderator to raise questions about leadership and accountability related to Abdul Razak’s public history.
The association also suggested that the university consider replacing Abdul Razak with another speaker who is not associated with a finding of civil liability and is more consistent with the university’s standards for public intellectual events.
It further called on IIUM to establish a reasonable vetting process for prospective speakers to minimise potential backlash and protect the university’s reputation.
Who is Razak Baginda?
Abdul Razak is a Malaysian political analyst and former executive director of the Malaysia Strategic Research Centre who is closely linked to incarcerated former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
He became a central figure in the 2006 murder case involving Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu, whose body was later destroyed with explosives in Shah Alam.
Abdul Razak was charged with abetting Altantuya’s murder, while former police officers Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar were charged with carrying out the killing. Abdul Razak had acknowledged that he was in a relationship with Altantuya between November 2004 and August 2005.
Once Acquitted, But Later Found Civilly Liable
Abdul Razak was acquitted by the Shah Alam High Court in 2008 after the court found that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against him.
The murder convictions of Azilah and Sirul, meanwhile, were subsequently upheld through the criminal court process.
The matter later resurfaced in a separate civil suit brought by Altantuya’s family. In that proceeding, Abdul Razak chose not to testify under oath or call witnesses in his defence. The Shah Alam High Court subsequently drew an adverse inference against him under Section 114(g) of the Evidence Act 1950.
READ MORE: Court Orders Abdul Razak Baginda & Gov To Pay Altantuya’s Family RM9 Mil
The civil court found Abdul Razak liable for conspiracy and complicity in Altantuya’s death, concluding that he had played an essential role in setting in motion the chain of events that led to her killing.
The Court of Appeal subsequently upheld the finding against Abdul Razak in January 2026, rejecting his argument that he had merely sought police assistance to deal with a harassment issue. The appellate court found that information he provided had facilitated the interception and detention of Altantuya.
What Happened Then?
The original Shah Alam High Court ruling in 2022 ordered Abdul Razak, Azilah, Sirul and the government to jointly pay RM5 million in damages to Altantuya’s family.
However, the Court of Appeal in January 2026 reduced the damages to about RM1.4 million and cleared the Malaysian government of vicarious liability, while maintaining the civil liability findings against Abdul Razak, Azilah and Sirul.
The distinction is important: Abdul Razak was acquitted in the original criminal prosecution in 2008, while the later finding against him arose from a separate civil lawsuit.
The civil court’s adverse inference and finding of liability therefore should not be described as a criminal conviction for Altantuya’s murder.
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