Cartoonist Zunar fails in bid to challenge travel ban

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court yesterday dismissed an application for a judicial review filed by cartoonist Zunar to challenge the Immigration Department’s decision barring him from travelling overseas since October last year.

Judge Datin Azizah Nawawi made the decision after finding that the court was bound by a Court of Appeal’s decision in a similar case involving Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua Kim Wee.

On July 5, Pua lost his appeal after the Court of Appeal ruled that the Immigration directorgeneral was authorised to restrict Malaysian citizens from travelling abroad without having to give any reason and on Nov 6, Pua also failed to obtain leave to appeal in the Federal Court.

Meanwhile, the court also rejected Zunar’s application to refer constitutional issues to the Federal Court on the grounds that the application had no merit.

“Therefore, Zunar’s application is dismissed with costs of RM5,000,” said Azizah.

Present at yesterday’s proceeding were Zunar‘s lawyer Latheefa Koya and senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan representing the director-general of the Immigration Department, the Home Minister and the Malaysian Government as respondents.

On April 14, the court granted leave to Zunar, whose real name is Zulkiflee SM Anwarul Haque, to commence judicial review proceedings to challenge the travel ban issued to him by the Immigration Department.

Zunar filed the application on Dec 7, 2016, seeking a certiorari order to quash the travel restriction against him which was conveyed to him orally on Oct 17, 2016.

He also sought a declaration order that the travel restriction issued against him had violated the Federal Constitution and, therefore, it was null, void and unconstitutional, apart from a mandamus order from the court to instruct the respondents to allow him to travel overseas without restrictions.

The cartoonist claimed that he was at the KL International Airport, leaving for Singapore to attend a forum on Oct 17, 2016, when he was stopped by the Immigration officers. - Bernama