Zunar sedition case withdrawn

Counsel and MP also freed of charges under Act

KUALA LUMPUR: Cartoonist Zunar (pic), counsel N. Surendran and Sungai Buloh MP R. Sivarasa have been acquitted and discharged by two Sessions Courts here of charges under the Sedition Act.

Zunar, 56, and Surendran, 52, were freed by judge Zamri Bakar while Sivarasa, 62, was acquitted by judge Dr Gan Chee Keong after the prosecution withdrew the charges against them yesterday.

Zunar and Sivarasa were repre- sented by Surendran while counsel Latheefa Koya represented Surendran.

Noor Jazilah Mohd Yushaa, Norinna Bahadun, Zaki Asyraf Zubir and Faizah Mohd Salleh were the deputy public prosecutors.

On April 3, 2015, Zunar, whose real name is Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, pleaded not guilty to nine charges of sedition for allegedly insulting the judiciary in tweets made in relation to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s conviction in the Sodomy 2 case.

In Surendran’s case, he claimed trial on Aug 19, 2014 to releasing an allegedly seditious press statement entitled “Court of Appeal’s Fitnah 2 written judgement is flawed, defensive and insupportable”.

While Sivarasa also claimed trial on Oct 20, 2015, to uttering seditious words at the #KitaLawan illegal rally at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre compound at about 5.20pm on March 7.

Zunar and Surendran were charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act while Sivarasa was accused under Section 4(1)(c) of the Act.