A Malaysian political cartoonist was today charged with nine counts of sedition over tweets insulting the judiciary after the conviction of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in a sodomy case, amid criticism from rights group that the government was stifling dissent.
Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, 53, known for lampooning the ruling coalition, was charged before the Sessions Court here for posting seditious tweets on February 10, the day Federal Court upheld Anwar's conviction for sodomising his former aide in 2008.
The tweets contained commentary of the proceedings on the day and mentioned the Chief Justice and Palace of Justice.
The charges were broken up into three sets of three charges each to reflect that the tweets were treated as separate transactions.
The defiant cartoonist Zulkiflee, also known as Zunar, could be jailed consecutively for each of the three "transactions", if found guilty.
The charges are punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine of up to 5,000 Malaysian Ringgit (USD 1,365).
Anwar was the ruling coalition party Barisan Nasional's rising star in the mid-1990s before he fell out with then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
He was deputy premier and finance minister but after his ouster from the cabinet he was burdened by legal problems.
The February 10 ruling was criticised by international human rights groups, Australia and the US, saying it raised questions over the rule of law.
Human Rights Watch said the charges against Zunar show Najib's "government has completely abandoned any pretense of respecting the basic right of freedom of expression."
"Day by day, Malaysians are losing more and more of their rights and democracy at the hands of an increasingly oppressive government," the organisation's Deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said in a statement.
The country's ruling coalition is said to keep a tight hold on mainstream media and critics.
Several government critics, including opposition politicians, academics, activists and journalists have been arrested for sedition in the past.
