(Suara keADILan) - Amnesty International has condemned the Malaysian government for persecuting and charging six people for allegedly insulting Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak.
“This development is a serious blow to the freedom of expression in Malaysia,” said Amnesty International Asia Pacific director Sam Zarifi.
“For a country that claims to be on the cutting edge of communications technology, this is a very troubling step backward.”
Last week, the government invoked for the first time in history Section 233 of the Multimedia and Communications Act 1998 against bloggers who did not toe the line. In a nation-wide crackdown, six men were charged on Friday. One pleaded gulity, while the rest claimed trial.
Clampdown on cyberspace expected to continue
As the power transition approaches, incoming prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and his camp are going all out to secure their turf and near the top of their list is a clampdown on cyberspace, where their unpopularity is so extensive it has become a major security priority.
Lab assistant Azrin Mohd Zain was found guilty and fined RM10,000 for “unwise use of network or network services for making comments, demands, suggestions or communication which are vulgar, false, threatening or disturbing”.
Another e-surfer in Kuala Lumpur, Muslim Ahmad, claimed trial and was released on a RM3,000 bail. His case will be heard on Apr 8, and if found guilty, he can be fined up to RM50,000 and/or jailed for up to one year.
In Petaling Jaya, land surveyor Nor Hisham Osman also pleaded not guilty and was released on RM4,000 bail. His case will be heard on Apr 14.
It was the same for handphone dealer Rutinin Suhaiman in Kota Kinabalu and Chan Hon Keong and Khoo Hui Shuang, both from Butterworth. All three pleaded not guilty.
Said Amnesty International’s Zarifi: “The Internet was one of the few avenues available for Malaysians to express their views relatively freely and now it looks like the government will extend its restrictions on free press to the web.”
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