Cartoonist Zunar faces prison for criticizing Malaysian judiciary
Malaysian cartoonist Zunar is facing a possible 43-year prison sentence for tweets criticizing the country's judiciary over the imprisonment of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
CBC News ·
Malaysian cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Alhaque, better known as Zunar, wearing a prison outfit and plastic handcuffs poses for photographers prior to launching his book in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015. Zunar was released on bail on Friday after being arrested for allegedly tweeting a seditious remark following dismissing opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy verdict. (AP Photo/Joshua Paul) (The Associated Press)
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As It Happens6:34Malaysian Cartoonist
"How can I be neutral? Even my pen has a stand!" It's a favourite saying of Malaysian political cartoonist Zunar, but his pointed criticisms of the government have now landed him nine charges of sedition.
Zunar is facing a possible 43-year prison sentence for his tweets criticizing the country's judiciary.
Zunar, who's real name is Zulkiflee Anwar Alhaque, says the charges stem from nine tweets he posted denouncing the imprisonment of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim for what he calls "so-called sodomy."
According to Zunar, "Everyone in Mayalsia knows the sentence [is] politically motivated to prevent Anwar from contesting the next election."
One of his tweets read: "The lackeys in black robes are proud of their sentence. The rewards from the political masters must be plenty."
(Zunar) Zunar is charged under sedition laws which date from Malaysia's colonial era. "If the government doesn't like you, or doesn't like your writings, does like your cartoons, they can simply use the Sedition Act against you so I don't know how e're going to defend it."
