Zunar Released Saturday After Friday’s Arrest, Charged With Sedition; Could Face A 3-Year Jail Term

Wire stories and official journalistic and rights organization surged with news today of the wild weekend enjoyed by the Malaysian cartoonist Zulkifli Awar Ulhaque, better known as Zunar. Zunar was arrested on sedition charges hours before a planned book release party on Friday in support of Cartoon-O-Phobia. This was after 10 police officers raided the popular cartoonist's offices and seized material they found there. Zunar was released on Saturday, but could face three years as a first-time offender under the Sedition Act.

Zunar told international press representatives that the government did not identify which cartoons they considered seditious under the terms of that act. Moreover, the vast majority if not all of the cartoons were previously published through the cartoonist's platform at the web site Malasiakini -- owned by the same group publishing the new book. Zunar has been at odds with the Malaysian government for a few years now regarding his books and magazine article, especially those that touch on politically sensitive issues. Friday's arrest, however, seems to take the confrontation of cartoonist and government to a whole new level.

Zunar's wife bravely conducted the book launch on Friday that Zunar promised would go off even as his office was being searched. She related a text messgae from the incarcerated cartoonist that the Committee to Protect Journalists described as saying that the authorities could imprison his body but not his mind.
 
posted 10:00 am PST | Permalink
 

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