Kuala Lumpur - A Malaysian court on Friday ordered the
release of a popular anti-government blogger, ruling that his
detention under a draconian security law was unlawful.
Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin was arrested on September 12 under the
Internal Security Act (ISA) after the government said his articles
incited hatred and racial discord as well as insulted Islam, the
official religion.
The editor of the popular Malaysia Today website had denied the
allegations and appealed against his detention, which could have been
indefinite under the ISA's provisions.
Malaysia's High Court ruled that Raja Petra would be brought to
court later Friday and immediately released from the detention centre
in the northern Perak state.
Judge Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad said that the home minister had
acted outside his powers in having Raja Petra arrested, and ruled
that his detention was unlawful.
The ISA is a law formulated during Britain's previous colonial
rule to fight a communist insurgency. It allows the government to
detain anyone for an initial two-year period without being charged
and to extend the detention indefinitely.
Raja Petra, 58, is also on trial on separate charges of sedition,
after he allegedly implicated deputy prime minister Najib Razak in
the murder of a Mongolian woman in 2006. Raja Petra denies the
charges.
Following the ruling, Raja Petra's wife Marina Lee Abdullah said
she was very happy with his impending release.
'I am glad that everything turned out well. It is a fantastic
breakthrough,' she was quoted as saying by the Star online news
portal.
Raja Petra's release was hailed by opposition leaders and fellow
bloggers who said the ruling was a sign of growing judicial
independence in the country.
'The court decision sustains hope that basic judicial decency,
independence and integrity have not been completely destroyed,' said
Lim Kit Siang, a senior leader of the opposition Democratic Action
Party.
Paul Sebastian, a fellow blogger, said Raja Petra's release was a
victory for all who defended the freedom of speech and freedom of the
internet.
'If what he says are lies, people are intelligent enough not to
believe it.
'If what he says are the truth, then all the more there must be an
avenue where the people have a chance to know,' he said.
Raja Petra has in the past come under fire from the government for
his often sensational articles, alleging wrong-doings by top leaders.
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