Malaysia Jails Blogger For Two Years Without Trial

from the public-outcry-didn't-work dept

Tue, Sep 23rd 2008 5:58pm — Mike Masnick

We've been trying to follow the situation with the government crackdown on opposition bloggers in Malaysia, and with different stories coming out every day, it got a little confusing. So when we wrote about a blogger being released following a public outcry, it was actually a different blogger than the original one we had reported as arrested. It now turns out that the original blogger has actually been immediately sentenced to two years in jail without any trial -- and those two years can be extended indefinitely at will by the government. As for the other blogger who was released, apparently that's just a temporary thing, as he's still facing charges as well. Apparently, the ruling party seems to think that by jailing opposition bloggers it will shut them up. This wouldn't be the first time that the government underestimated the response to trying to silence critical bloggers.

Filed Under: arrests, bans, blogs, malaysia, politics

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Nick Stamoulis, 23 Sep 2008 @ 6:22pm

Wow, that's pretty awful. It sounds so similar to China. I guess we have to be glad that although our country certainly isn't the best, that our personal freedoms are a bit better than those in countries like Malaysia.
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- Enrico Suarve, 25 Sep 2008 @ 1:26am
  
  Re:
  Yeah at least in America you have the right to at least a show trial and they at least have to bribe the judiciary
  
  Either that or get shoved in orange overalls and... oh wait my bad I failed to spot the sarcasm - you were comparing the two despotic regimes right?
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Dave (profile), 23 Sep 2008 @ 6:35pm

@ Nick

Agreed - Freedom here is just a bit better. And every day we loose more freedoms, not gain. I wonder how long it will take before this country resembles the ones we look at and feel sorry for.
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- Anonymous Coward, 23 Sep 2008 @ 7:30pm
  
  Re:
  Another four years of Republican government, probably.
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Sep 2008 @ 9:41pm

I went to school with Malaysians -- they were all MUSLIMS. What is worse than a freakin' ISLAMIC CHINA?!
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- Anonymous Coward, 23 Sep 2008 @ 11:24pm
  
  Re:
  How about a xenophobic, trigger happy America?
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  - Trigger happy, 24 Sep 2008 @ 12:12am
    
    Re: Re:
    OK - Go live in Malaysia
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Known Coward, 24 Sep 2008 @ 12:11am

Xenophobic Trigger Happy America
Some people can't kick any country but their own.
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