Malaysian artist and activist Fahmi Reza was fined $7,700 and jailed for one month.
Reproductions of the artist’s caricature were widely used during protests. Source: AFP/BBC
The cartoon of prime minister Najib Razak depicting him as a clown became popular during protests against him. The protests began after a financial scandal involving his investment fund.
Fahmi’s lawyer told AFP he was “disappointed” by the court decision and would appeal. An Ipoh court sentenced Fahmi to one month in prison and fined him 30,000 ringgit ($7,700). The artist was found guilty of violating laws on spreading online content deemed offensive. He faces a second similar charge in another court, the BBC reports.
Fahmi Reza was arrested in 2016 along with other activists and opposition leaders. They protested against the country’s prime minister Najib Razak who was accused of laundering billions of money using the fund he founded.
The state blocked several websites and news outlests that spread negative news about Razak and the fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad" (1MDB), which was accused of misappropriating $4.5 billion. The blocking took place despite the authorities’ promises not to censor the internet.
The prime minister and 1MDB deny all allegations.
A new tough law on security aimed at tackling the spread of fake news seems to be the latest attempt in the southeast Asian country to broaden enforcement powers and penalties against online content deemed harmful to public order and security.
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