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A Malaysian court dropped nine sedition charges Monday against a cartoonist who used satirical cartoons to skew the nation's political elite, including Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife, after prosecutors stated that they would no longer pursue the business. ] Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, a BenarNews collaborator better known as Zunar, has several times mentioned issues with cartoons that, among other things, made fun of the alleged use of 1Malaya Development Berhad funds (1MDB ). Sedition for me, the burden is lifted, "Zunar told BenarNews. "But the fight is not over yet."
He expressed the hope that the government of Prime Minister Mahathir would abolish the Sedition Act, one of many laws used to restrict criticism in the Muslim-majority country. abolish this law to show commitment to freedom of expression, "he said.
Zunar, 56, held the record of only one person to face accusations of Sedition in Malaysia, according to legal analysts, reportedly insulted the judiciary in its tweets.These tweets were in reaction to a court order to imprison opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges, which could have imprisoned him until he was 43 years old he was convicted
Zamri Bakar acquitted Zunar at a hearing in Kuala Lumpur after The prosecution team said that the Attorney General's office had decided to withdraw the charges against the cartoonist, Zunar said at his home in Kuala Lumpur in February 2016. for three days at no cost after published nine political cartoons online. interrogator, the police told him that he was the subject of an investigation for his illustrations that would have defamed Najib.
Under Najib, Malaysia was accused of using draconian laws to retaliate against government critics. Several laws were used to restrain criticism, including the British Sedition Act against Zunar and the False News Act, passed in April, just one month before Najib lost power when the opposition bloc triumphed on May 9th.
After the opposition destroyed the monopoly of political power of the ruling national coalition, Mahathir promised to repeal repressive laws and investigate the 1MDB scandal
More 114 people, including journalists, leaders and activists were arrested under the Sedition Act in March 2015 only, according to official reports compiled by BenarNews.
In April 2015, Malaysia also passed the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which the Najib government justified. The opposition leader fears that the law will be used against Najib's critics.
Since he lost power, Najib has been charged with three counts of breach of trust and abuse of power because of allegations that he would have deposited millions of dollars. in his personal bank account. He pleaded not guilty and is free on bail
The date of Najib's trial was set for February 18, 2019, and the new government forbade him, as well as his wife, Roshmah, to leave the country. .
& # 39; It can be said that these are places of commerce "
Zunar learned that he was forbidden to travel abroad while he was about to leave for Singapore in October 2016.
About a month after May's catapulted elections Mahathir returns to power, Zunar tells the New York Times that he's connected to a government database and discovered that he's "out of control." he could still leave the country.
"I was surprised to see this happen so quickly," Zunar said. "At the same time, the former prime minister and his wife are currently banned from traveling." Amnesty International said the Mahathir government "must seize this opportunity to usher in a new era for human rights." by fully restoring freedom of expression, "said Amnesty International, and abolishing the Sedition Act of 1948, an archaic law that has been used repeatedly to target dissenting voices.
" The authorities must also abandon all other charges and, pending its repeal, ensure that no one else, investigated, charged or imprisoned under its draconian provisions. "
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