Malaysian cartoonist Zunar is facing charges under a colonial era Sedition Act. (Photo: Sean Gallagher/Index on Censorship)
Malaysian cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, aka Zunar, was arrested on Saturday 17 December during a fund-raising event to recoup losses related to the seizure of 20 of his artworks. Police also confiscated 1,000 books during the arrest.
In a statement, the award-winning cartoonist wrote that authorities took him into custody under Section 124 of the country’s penal code for “being detrimental to parliamentary democracy”. Two of Zunar’s assistants were also arrested, as were two of his fans.
“I was questioned for almost six hours and released under bail at midnight. I would have to report back to the police station on the 30 Dec 2016,” Zunar wrote.
The police also said that they would be banning all his books.
It was the cartoonist’s second arrest in three weeks. On 25th Nov 2016, he was arrested under the Sedition Act for his cartoons which are deemed insulting to the country’s prime minister Najib Razak.
The artist was questioned under the penal code under suspicion of intentionally humiliating a person. He was released the next day.
“Even though I have been released, the harassment from the Malaysian government is far from over. I have to report back to the police in Penang on 27 December 2016 for further investigation. And yesterday (26 November), two people who assisted me in organizing the exhibition were also called up by the police for questioning,” the cartoonist said in a statement.
On 25 November Zunar was forced to end his three-day exhibition after only a few hours when a group of “pro-government thugs,” believed to be a part of the United Malays National Organisation, physically assaulted the cartoonist and damaged his displayed work. “They pulled my shirt and threw a punch at me,” Zunar told Index, “but people came and rescued me.”
The Malaysian government has long attempted to silence the cartoonist, who currently is awaiting trial on nine charges of sedition, which carry a potential 43-year jail term, for his cartoons government-critical cartoons. The trial is set for 24 January 2017 and Zunar is currently on bail.
A travel ban was placed on Zunar on 24 June of this year but was Zunar only became aware of the limitation when he was held by immigration police at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport when attempting to leave Malaysia on 17 October.
Zunar has been arrested twice before, once for two days in 2010 for publishing his book Cartoon-O-Phobia, and again for three days in 2015 for violating the Sedition Act.
The Sedition Act, which was put in place to silence opposition to British colonial rule in 1948, has become a popular way for the Malaysian government to silence critical voices such as Zunar. The award-winning cartoonist has been challenging the law for years.
“I can smell that the 10th charge of the Sedition Act is on the way. I am already facing 9 charges under that draconian act and the trial is set to be on 24 January 2017,” Zunar said.
The artist was questioned under the penal code under suspicion of intentionally humiliating a person. He was released the next day.
“Even though I have been released, the harassment from the Malaysian government is far from over. I have to report back to the police in Penang on 27 December 2016 for further investigation. And yesterday (26 November), two peeple who assisted me in organizing the exhibition were also called up by the police for questioning,” the cartoonist said in a statement.
On 25 November Zunar was forced to end his three-day exhibition after only a few hours when a group of “pro-government thugs,” believed to be a part of the United Malays National Organisation, physically assaulted the cartoonist and damaged his displayed work. “They pulled my shirt and threw a punch at me,” Zunar told Index, “but people came and rescued me.”
The Malaysian government has long attempted to silence the cartoonist, who currently is awaiting trial on nine charges of sedition, which carry a potential 43-year jail term, for his cartoons government-critical cartoons. The trial is set for 24 January 2017 and Zunar is currently on bail.
A travel ban was placed on Zunar on 24 June of this year but was Zunar only became aware of the limitation when he was held by immigration police at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport when attempting to leave Malaysia on 17 October.
Prior to 25 November, Zunar had been arrested twice before, once for two days in 2010 for publishing his book Cartoon-O-Phobia, and again for three days in 2015 for violating the Sedition Act.
The Sedition Act, which was put in place to silence opposition to British colonial rule in 1948, has become a popular way for the Malaysian government to silence critical voices such as Zunar. The award-winning cartoonist has been challenging the law for years.
“I can smell that the 10th charge of the Sedition Act is on the way. I am already facing 9 charges under that draconian act and the trial is set to be on 24 January 2017,” Zunar said.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1482137483571-c06078d4-e22e-2″ taxonomies=”4218″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Malaysian cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, aka Zunar, was arrested on 26 November under the Sedition Act for his cartoons which are deemed insulting to the country’s prime minister Najib Razak.
The artist was questioned under the penal code under suspicion of intentionally humiliating a person. He was released the next day.
“Even though I have been released, the harassment from the Malaysian government is far from over. I have to report back to the police in Penang on 27 December 2016 for further investigation. And yesterday (26 November), two peeple who assisted me in organizing the exhibition were also called up by the police for questioning,” the cartoonist said in a statement.
On 25 November Zunar was forced to end his three-day exhibition after only a few hours when a group of “pro-government thugs,” believed to be a part of the United Malays National Organisation, physically assaulted the cartoonist and damaged his displayed work. “They pulled my shirt and threw a punch at me,” Zunar told Index, “but people came and rescued me.”
The Malaysian government has long attempted to silence the cartoonist, who currently is awaiting trial on nine charges of sedition, which carry a potential 43-year jail term, for his cartoons government-critical cartoons. The trial is set for 24 January 2017 and Zunar is currently on bail.
A travel ban was placed on Zunar on 24 June of this year but was Zunar only became aware of the limitation when he was held by immigration police at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport when attempting to leave Malaysia on 17 October.
Zunar has been arrested twice before, once for two days in 2010 for publishing his book Cartoon-O-Phobia, and again for three days in 2015 for violating the Sedition Act.
The Sedition Act, which was put in place to silence opposition to British colonial rule in 1948, has become a popular way for the Malaysian government to silence critical voices such as Zunar. The award-winning cartoonist has been challenging the law for years.
“I can smell that the 10th charge of the Sedition Act is on the way. I am already facing 9 charges under that draconian act and the trial is set to be on 24 January 2017,” Zunar said.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1480410671694-9cbae1a6-e66d-2″ taxonomies=”4218″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Update: Since this article was published, Zunar has been arrested on charges of sedition.
Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, aka Zunar, a Malaysian political cartoonist, continues to face harassment from the government and its supporters due to his work.
His cartoons and books have previously been banned and confiscated for being allegedly “detrimental to public order”, he is to stand trial on nine charges of sedition in January, which carries a 34-year sentence if he is convicted, and he is currently banned from leaving the country.
Earlier today a mob of 30 people – who he called “pro-government thugs” – surrounded him at the opening of his new exhibition of satirical cartoons, threatened him and damaged some of his artwork.
“They were very hostile for the first 20 minutes because I was alone with friends,” Zunar told Index. “They pulled my shirt and threw a punch at me, but people came and rescued me.”
As the situation became more unmanageable, police were called in, followed by riot police, to contain the mob. No arrests were made.
“I was very scared but I stayed calm – I didn’t react,” Zunar added.
The exhibition had only been open for a few hours before being forced to close. Zunar has taken the decision to close the exhibition permanently due to safety concerns and told Index he will seek more secure locations for future exhibitions.
Such attacks are becoming more common in Malaysia, as being in opposition to the government becomes ever-more difficult. Last week a similar crowd interrupted a speech by the opposition MP on Khalid Samad on the grounds of the county’s Parliament.
Last Friday, on the eve of a massive Bersih protest in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, the activist Maria Chin Abdullah was arrested, prompting many thousands of people to take to the streets in yellow t-shirts to demand her release.
Protesters are also calling for free and fair elections and for the Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak to resign.
“The Malaysian government is now a minority government, with the ruling party only receiving about 47% of the popular vote,” Zunar explained. “So the Malaysian government will now do anything they can to ensure they remain in power, including fostering and supporting this kind of chaos and attack pro-democracy activists.”
Talking about his upcoming trial – which was due to take place back in November 2015 – Zunar said: “I don’t put any hope in the system. I would like to highlight again that this is politically motivated. It’s not about the strength of the evidence against me, it’s not about how good the witnesses are, in Malysia it depends on the judges. And if we are lucky enough we will find one or two independent judges – that is the best we can hope for.”
Zunar is more than willing to stand trial, however, to highlight the abuses of freedom and democracy in Malaysia for all the world to see.
In the meantime, as ever, he will continue to draw.
Award-winning Malaysian cartoonist Zunar, who faces up to 43 years imprisonment for tweeting his cartoons criticising his country’s leaders reported on 17 October that he has had a travel ban imposed blocking him from travelling outside the country.
Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, known as Zunar, has faced harassment from the Malaysian government for his political cartoons. Five of his books have been banned in Malaysia and his office has been raided several times, resulting in the confiscation of thousands of his books.
Any bookstore, vendor, printer or publisher who agrees to sell the cartoonist’s books also face harassment from the Malaysian government, receiving threats of having their business licenses revoked or their offices raided. Zunar’s books are now printed without the name of the publisher to protect them. Although this is against the law, he has no choice if he wishes to continue publication of his cartoons.
Zunar is being charged under the Sedition Act, which was originally put in place in 1948 to curb opposition to British colonial rule, but the law has remained part of Malaysia’s legal system. The Sedition Act prohibits any behavior that could be deemed detrimental to the government. This outdated law allows the Malaysian government to censor opposition.
His cartoons have covered a wide range of controversial topics in Malaysia, from unsolved murders to political conspiracies. His motto is proudly displayed throughout his website, “How Can I Be Neutral, Even My Pen Has a Stand” emphasising his unfaltering mindset to stand up to the Malaysian government.
Zunar has challenged the Sedition Act and the Malaysian government multiple times in the past. First in 2010 to fight the banning of his books in the country, then in 2011 against the government and police for unlawful arrest and detention. Unfortunately in both cases the courts ruled against him.
Now with a travel ban placed on him by the Malaysian government, Zunar plans to again file a suit to challenge its validity. The cartoonist discovered the ban on 17 October 2016 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, though it has been effective since 24 June 2016.
With the court proceedings for Zunar set for 22 November, he faces a maximum of 43 years in prison for tweeting his cartoons. The cartoonist has been imprisoned twice in the past; once for two days in 2010 and again for three days in 2015, both times for violating the Sedition Act. Three of Zunar’s assistants were also arrested in 2014 for selling his cartoons.
Zunar is currently out on bail but is stuck in Malaysia with the threat of 43 years imprisonment ahead of him. Despite this, he remains dedicated to exposing the corruption of the government, stating in an interview with Index on Censorship in 2015, “I will never stop, it is my right as a citizen to express my view and my responsibility as a cartoonist to give alternative views.”
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