The High Court today granted blogger Amizudin Ahmat’s application for a stay of execution of his three months’ jail imposed by the court for contempt of court by further publishing articles on Information, Communications and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim.

Justice Zabariah Mohd Yusof made the ruling after Rais’ lawyer Sarah Abishegam informed the court that the respondent had not objected to Amizudin’s application to stay the sentence pending disposal of his appeal at the Court of Appeal over the jail sentence.

On Aug 10, Justice Zabariah had sentenced Amizudin to three months’ jail after finding him finding him guilty of contempt of court by further publishing 11 articles which defamed Rais.

    

She ruled that  Amizudin had breached a court order prohibiting him from publishing such articles on Rais in his blogsite.

The 11 articles were published after the court, on July 19 last year, ruled in Rais’ favour over a suit he had filed against Azimudin, who was also ordered to pay RM300,000 in damages and RM100,000 in costs to the minister.

Rais filed the suit on Jan 31, 2011, against Amizudin, 42, who is a Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Youth committee member, for defamation over an article posted on the latter’s blogsite, sharpshooterblogger. blogspot.com , on or about Dec 28, 2010.

- Bernama