AG drops sedition charge against UM's Prof Azmi Sharom
Suganthi Suparmaniam
February 12, 2016 10:18 MYT
February 12, 2016 10:18 MYT
Tan Sri Apandi Ali today announced that he is dropping the sedition charges against Prof Azmi Sharom.
Attorney-General Tan Sri Apandi Ali today announced that he is dropping the sedition charges against University Malaya’s law lecturer Prof Azmi Sharom.
“In the interest of justice, and after going through the evidence given by the prosecution’s witnesses in court, I am using my discretion under Article 145(3) of the Federal Constitution and decide to drop the charges against Dr Azmi,” Apandi said in a media statement today.
He said previously, sedition charges against DAP's Teresa Kok were also dropped.
On Sept 2, Azmi was charged with sedition for his comments on the 2009 Perak crisis.
He was charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948 for his article "Take Perak crisis route for speedy end to Selangor impasse, Pakatan told" which was published on a news portal.
The academician, who is also UM Academic Staff Association president was alleged to have committed the offence at the Kuala Lumpur Police Contingent headquarters in Jalan Hang Tuah at 12.30 pm on Aug 12.
Before this, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala and Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah had said that Azmi should not be charged with sedition.
Idris stated that constructive criticism (or) dissent should be allowed ... "as long as it does not create a serious fault-line in the social fabric of our society" while Saifudin said the charge had suppressed academic freedom.