2014 Malaysian sedition dragnet

The 2014 Malaysian sedition dragnet was a campaign by the government of Malaysia where several people were arrested or charged for making statements said to be against the Sedition Act 1948. Malaysian media used the term "sedition dragnet" to describe this campaign.[1][2]

Background

The Sedition Act is a law from the British colonial era. Critics say it is outdated and used to stop free speech.[3][4] The government says it is needed to keep peace.[5] In 2012, the government ended the Internal Security Act and replaced it with the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012.

Many activists and politicians criticised prime minister Najib Razak, saying the arrests broke his promise to repeal the Sedition Act.[4][6]

Arrests

Those arrested included opposition politicians such as Khalid Abdul Samad, N. Surendran, and Teresa Kok. Others included law professor Azmi Sharom, journalist Susan Loone, and several activists.[7]

Some people faced other charges. For example, Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin was charged with criminal defamation, and Rafizi Ramli was charged for provocation of breach of peace.

References

  1. ↑ Murad, Dina (2014-09-02). "UM law lecturer Azmi Sharom denies sedition charge". The Star.
  2. ↑ "Bersih claims sedition dragnet a red herring from GST, redelineation". Malay Mail. 2014-09-05.
  3. ↑ "International group condemns use of Sedition Act to suppress freedom of expression". The Edge Malaysia. 2014-09-04.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Insider, The Malaysian (2014-09-05). "Is the PM getting cold feet on the Sedition Act, ask lawyers". Yahoo News.
  5. ↑ "Ismail Sabri: Keep Sedition Act to maintain peace". Malay Mail. 2014-09-08.
  6. ↑ SU-LYN, BOO (2014-09-05). "Shahidan 'totally wrong', PM did promise to repeal sedition law, Umno man says (VIDEO)". Malay Mail.
  7. ↑ "Unafraid of jail, a young father fights the Sedition Act". The Malaysian Insider. 2014-09-07. Archived from the original on 2014-09-08.
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