Malaysia frees blogger accused of sedition
The Associated Press
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysian police have freed a prominent political blogger accused of sedition after he launched an online protest against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's embattled government.
Blogger Syed Azidi Syed Aziz was released Saturday as the government struggled to tackle increasing public dissent amid a threat by the opposition to topple Abdullah's administration through parliamentary defections.
Syed Azidi posted a picture of Malaysia's national flag upside down and urged other Internet bloggers to follow suit to protest the country's political and economic problems.
Authorities arrested Syed Azidi on Wednesday, saying he was being investigated for sedition, which is punishable by up to three years in prison.
But following his release, Syed Azidi wrote on his "Kickdefella" blog that he would not stop his government criticism, saying he wanted to "be charged so we can fight this politically motivated case in court."
Police officials familiar with the case could not immediately be contacted, but Syed Azidi was instructed to report to authorities Oct. 17 to learn if he would face charges.
Before Syed Azidi's arrest, authorities had detained another political blogger, an opposition lawmaker and a journalist last week under a separate law that allows for detention without trial.
The politician and the journalist have since been freed following a public outcry backed by the law minister, who resigned in protest.
Public pressure on the government mounted Saturday as the Malaysian Bar, the main lawyers' group, held an emergency meeting to denounce the arrests under the Internal Security Act, which is used against suspects deemed to be threats to national security.
The lawyers issued a resolution calling for the act to be abolished and for the government "to immediately and unconditionally release" about 60 people currently detained without trial.
Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said late Saturday the government had no plans to scrap the security act. It remained necessary and would only be reviewed "when the time was right," he said.
