Malay cartoonist hit with nine sedition charges
A Malaysian political cartoonist known for skewering the country’s ruling regime was charged Friday with what his lawyer called a record nine counts of sedition, one of dozens of targets in a deepening clampdown on civil liberties.
Zulkifli Anwar Ulhaque — who goes by the pen name Zunar — has faced sedition charges previously for his cartoons and had collections of his works banned, but the current charges stem from his Twitter criticism of the February jailing of Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
“How can I be neutral if even my pen has a stand? Being neutral in Malaysia means you are supporting the corrupt government,” Zunar told the Malaysian Insider news portal afterward.
The defiant cartoonist had earlier arrived at a Kuala Lumpur courthouse to face the charges dressed in a purple mock prison jumpsuit, clowning for journalists with a set of handcuffs.
His lawyer Latheefa Koya later said nine sedition counts related to individual tweets were entered, calling it a Malaysian “record high” for a single court appearance.
A single sedition conviction can result in three years in jail.
“We will fight this. Sedition is being used in the most ridiculous fashion,” she said.
The political coalition that has ruled for 58 years keeps a tight rein on mainstream media and moves to squelch criticism of its recurring corruption scandals and alleged rights infringements.
But since stumbling to its worst- ever showing in 2013 elections against the Anwar- led Opposition, Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government has moved to tighten its grip, launching an accelerating free- speech clampdown.
Dozens of government critics have been arrested for sedition or other charges.