The Malaysian government should stop persecuting the six who have been charged for allegedly insulting Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak, urged Amnesty International.

The six were charged under Section 233(1)(A) of the Multimedia and Communications Act 1998 for "unwise use of network or network services for making comments, demands, suggestions or communication which are vulgar, false, threatening or disturbing".

Amnesty International in a statement today called on the government to drop all charges against the five and to reverse the conviction of one of the bloggers who pleaded guilty.

pakatan rakyat pc perak situation 060209 anwar ibrahim lim kit siang Llab assistant Azrin Mohd Zain, 33, pleaded guilty in the Sessions Court and was fined RM10,000.

The alleged insults were related to the political crisis in Perak, which saw the Pakatan Rakyat-led government being toppled by Barisan Nasional following the defection of three assemblypersons.

The crisis culminated in ousted Menteri Besar Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin being asked to step down by the Perak sultan.

"Serious blow to freedom of expression"

Amnesty International also added that the use of the Multimedia and Communications Act against the six has violated the stated objective of the Act which says it would not be used to censor the Internet.

indonesia and internet Section 3(3) of the Act states that nothing in the Act "shall be construed as permitting the censorship of the Internet".

"This development is a serious blow to the freedom of expression in Malaysia," said Amnesty International Asia Pacific director Sam Zarifi.

He also said that the case has set a "very dangerous" precedent for those who wish to express their views via the Internet.

"The Internet was one of the few avenues available for Malaysians to express their views relatively freely and now it looks like the government will extend its restrictions on free press to the web.

"For a country that claims to be on the cutting edge of communications technology, this is a very troubling step backward."

Trial dates in April and May have been set to hear evidence against the five, who have been released on bail.

This is the first time anyone has been charged under this Act, which comes with a maximum fine of RM50,000 or a maximum jail term of one year, or both if found guilty.