Kuala Lumpur — Malaysia’s highest court on Friday found news portal Malaysiakini in contempt of court over comments posted by readers deemed offensive to the judiciary, in a case widely seen as a test of media freedom in the Southeast Asian nation.
“The impugned statements had gone far and wide ... the content was spurious and reprehensible in nature and the content involved allegations of corruption which were unproven and untrue,” said judge Rohana Yusuf, who chaired the panel. In a country with a highly regulated media often dominated by state-controlled groups, Malaysiakini has been a platform for the opposition and a critic of the establishment.
It is unlikely Malaysiakini can appeal the verdict because the case was heard before Malaysia’s highest court. In a brief joint statement, the British and Canadian high commissions raised concerns over the court’s decision, saying that media freedom is a “fundamental importance to the security, prosperity and wellbeing of all societies”.In a tweet, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development said the fact that the fine was double what prosecutors had sought was a sign of judicial harassment against dissenting voices and a failure to protect press freedom.