Mustafa Ali (R), Fadzil Noor (C) and Mahfuz Omar (UPALI ATURUGIRI/AFP/Getty)

A transgender woman was murdered in Malaysia on Thursday.

According to the Human Rights Watch, Sameera Krishnan, 27, was “brutally murdered” in the city of Kuantan on Thursday at 03:30.

Krishnan’s funeral was held on Friday, her birthday.

According to the police chief in the city, an investigation has been launched into her killing.

LGBT+ people in Malaysia are shunned socially, and do not necessarily enjoy protections under the law.

The Prime Minister of Malaysia back in 2015 cited Islam in saying that the human rights of LGBT people will not necessarily be protected.

Najib Razak spoke at an international Islamic moderation seminar in Bangi Selangor, to say that his administration will adopt some human rights protections but not those which conflict with Islam.

Noting LGBT rights, he said that some of the “more extreme aspects of human rights”, would not be defended by Malaysia.

He said this was in line with the Islamic teaching of balance and moderation.

“Although universal human rights have been defined, we still define human rights in the country in the context of Islam and the Shariah,” he said

Malaysia’s highest court has dealt a major blow to the trans community there, later in 2015.

Malaysia’s Federal Court upheld a ban on cross-dressing, which sees trans women criminalised.

Earlier this year, a government-sponsored video surfaced which said homosexuality can be ‘cured’ following a training programme.