Three cleared of sedition charges

KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Rural Development Minister R Sivarasa, cartoonist Zulkiflee SM Anwar Ulhaque, who is also known as Zunar, and lawyer N. Surendran were yesterday acquitted and discharged of sedition after the prosecution withdrew the charges against them.

The decision was handed down at two Sessions Courts, before judge Zamri Bakar and judge Dr Gan Chee Keong , after the prosecution, represented by deputy public prosecutors Norinna Bahadun, Zaki Asyraf Zubir and Faizah Mohd Salleh withdrew all the charges against the three men.

Sivarasa, 62, who is Sungai Buloh Member of Parliament , was charged with uttering seditious words at the #KitaLawan rally held at the compound of Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) here at 5.20 pm on March 7, 2015.

Zunar, 56, was charged with nine counts of sedition for tweets posted on his Twitter @ zunarkartunis at the office of the Classified Criminal Investigation Unit, Bukit Aman at 3 pm on Feb 10, 2015.

Surendran, 52, was charged with releasing a press statement, with the title 'Court of Appeal's Fitnah 2, Written Judgement is Flawed, Defensive and Insupportable' at the office of Malaysiakini.com, No. 48, Jalan Kemuja, Bangsar Utama, Brickfields here at 3.40 pm on April 18, 2014.

They were charged under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948, which provides an imprisonment for up to three years, or fine of up to RM5,000, or both, if found guilty.

Zunar and Sivarasa were represented by Surendran while counsel Latheefa Koya, who represented Surendran, also acted for Sivarasa.