KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Socialis Malaysia (PSM) leader S. Arutchelvan is facing a sedition charge for allegedly criticising the judiciary.
Claiming trial to the charge, he is alleged to have criticised the Federal Court decision in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy conviction on Feb 10.
Arutchelvan is alleged to have committed the offence in a Facebook post in his capacity as PSM secretary-general.
Sessions Court judge Amernudin Ahmad set bail at RM5,000 in one surety and marked Dec 22 for the case to be mentioned.
Outside the court, counsel New Sin Yew said they would be arguing against the use of the Sedition Act and that free speech was a basic human right.
Some 25 people, including PSM chairman Dr Nasir Hashim, turned up at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex in a show of support for Arutchelvan.
PSM had called for the show of support for him and other social or political activists held under the Act.
Arutchelvan was arrested for alleged sedition on Feb 19 and released the next day after a police remand was rejected by a magistrate’s court.
Anwar, the former Opposition leader, was sentenced to five years in jail for sodomising his former aide.
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