Malaysiakini report below for the benefit of those not plugged into the newswebsite:
May 6, 08 10:40am
Malaysia Today news portal webmaster Raja Petra Kamaruddin was today charged with sedition at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court over an article which he wrote in his website.
The article allegedly implied that Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife were involved in the killing of a young Mongolian woman.
raja petra court case 060508 04Raja Petra claimed trial to the charge. He was charged under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act for publishing seditious article on April 25 on Malaysia Today.
Hearing has been fixed from Oct 6 to 10 and Raja Petra was granted a bail of RM5,000, which he refused to post, deciding instead to remain in custody until the hearing date.
If found guilty, Raja Petra could be jailed for a maximum of three years and/or face a fine of up to RM5,000.
The chargesheet also highlighted nine paragraphs of the article which was titled "Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell" as seditious.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nordin Hassan is prosecuting while Raja Petra was represented by a team of six lawyers led by Karpal Singh.
Earlier this morning Raja Petra was asked to present himself at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court to face the sedition charge.
He had been waiting to be charged at the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate's Court when he received a telephone call from the police at about 10.20am asking him to go to the PJ court instead.
Summoned yesterday
Late yesterday the popular webmaster was ordered to surrender at the Jalan Duta court complex at 9.30am this morning to face a sedition charge.
raja petra court case 060508 02Talking to reporters at the Jalan Duta court complex this morning, Raja Petra said that he was a victim of political persecution.
"I knew this was coming. They are going to find ways and excuses to charge me but these are stupid excuses," he said.
"Once they charge me, we will show that there is no evidence against me," he added.
He said that he was aware of a call made by an Umno leader from Petaling Jaya (Utara) about three weeks ago that "they should find ways to arrest me".
News about Raja Petra's case spread like a wild fire last night and this morning a large crowd had gathered at the court complex to show support for him.
Also present were DAP leaders Lim Kit Siang and Ronnie Liu as well as Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar.
Najib's statement
Last Friday, Raja Petra was called in by the police to have his statement recorded over an Internet posting two weeks ago pertaining to the murder case of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a Mongolian national.
On April 25, Raja Petra posted the article titled 'Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell' on his blog, Malaysia Today. The posting implicated Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor in the high-profile case.
Najib subsequently issued a denial through his press secretary Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad, whereas Rosmah has also denied the allegations against her.
The Altantunya murder trial is currently ongoing at the Shah Alam.
May 6, 08 10:40am
Malaysia Today news portal webmaster Raja Petra Kamaruddin was today charged with sedition at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court over an article which he wrote in his website.
The article allegedly implied that Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife were involved in the killing of a young Mongolian woman.
raja petra court case 060508 04Raja Petra claimed trial to the charge. He was charged under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act for publishing seditious article on April 25 on Malaysia Today.
Hearing has been fixed from Oct 6 to 10 and Raja Petra was granted a bail of RM5,000, which he refused to post, deciding instead to remain in custody until the hearing date.
If found guilty, Raja Petra could be jailed for a maximum of three years and/or face a fine of up to RM5,000.
The chargesheet also highlighted nine paragraphs of the article which was titled "Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell" as seditious.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nordin Hassan is prosecuting while Raja Petra was represented by a team of six lawyers led by Karpal Singh.
Earlier this morning Raja Petra was asked to present himself at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court to face the sedition charge.
He had been waiting to be charged at the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate's Court when he received a telephone call from the police at about 10.20am asking him to go to the PJ court instead.
Summoned yesterday
Late yesterday the popular webmaster was ordered to surrender at the Jalan Duta court complex at 9.30am this morning to face a sedition charge.
raja petra court case 060508 02Talking to reporters at the Jalan Duta court complex this morning, Raja Petra said that he was a victim of political persecution.
"I knew this was coming. They are going to find ways and excuses to charge me but these are stupid excuses," he said.
"Once they charge me, we will show that there is no evidence against me," he added.
He said that he was aware of a call made by an Umno leader from Petaling Jaya (Utara) about three weeks ago that "they should find ways to arrest me".
News about Raja Petra's case spread like a wild fire last night and this morning a large crowd had gathered at the court complex to show support for him.
Also present were DAP leaders Lim Kit Siang and Ronnie Liu as well as Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar.
Najib's statement
Last Friday, Raja Petra was called in by the police to have his statement recorded over an Internet posting two weeks ago pertaining to the murder case of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a Mongolian national.
On April 25, Raja Petra posted the article titled 'Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell' on his blog, Malaysia Today. The posting implicated Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor in the high-profile case.
Najib subsequently issued a denial through his press secretary Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad, whereas Rosmah has also denied the allegations against her.
The Altantunya murder trial is currently ongoing at the Shah Alam.
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