A leading Malaysian news portal mounted a legal challenge today against a law aimed at combating "fake news", which critics fear will be used to stifle dissent before elections next month.
Parliament earlier in April passed the legislation, which makes the dissemination of deliberately misleading information punishable by up to six years in jail and a hefty fine.
The government has argued it will safeguard the public, but the opposition claims it is aimed at silencing criticism of Prime Minister Najib Razak and the scandal surrounding state fund 1MDB ahead of the May 9 poll.
Malaysiakini, one of a host of websites that have become popular by reporting on official wrongdoing and corruption, filed an application for a judicial review of the law in Kuala Lumpur High Court.
The site said it was the first legal challenge against the law.
"We believe that this law shouldn't stand, it is against the constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech," Malaysiakini CEO Premesh Chandran told AFP.
"We believe we have a good case."
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