Maria was stopped by airport officials as she was about to board a flight to South Korea yesterday evening, said a report in Malay Mail Online.

She was supposed to go to South Korea to receive the 2016 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights on behalf on Bersih 2.0.

The electoral reform group tweeted about the travel ban and said that no reasons were given for Maria’s travel ban.

Apart from receiving the award, Maria was also scheduled to give two talks in Seoul and Busan, South Korea, said another tweet.

Netizens slammed the travel ban on Maria, calling it a new low on our democracy and reeking of authoritarianism.

Bersih 2.0 was last month reported to have won the award, for its efforts in pushing for electoral reform in Malaysia. The award is given to commemorate the spirit of the democratic fight by the people in Gwangju on May 1980, who stood up against the military regime in South Korea.