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About 500 Universiti Malaya students, sporting blue ribbons, staged a march in their campus in solidarity with law lecturer Azmi Sharom, who has been charged with sedition.

The protesters, who included five DAP MPs, also demanded that the Sedition Act be abolished.

Azmi (right, addressing the crowd) was also present.

Led by the UM student union president Fahmi Ismail, the protesters marched for about 1km from the Law Faculty.

In Penang, a group of students in Universiti Sains Malaysia also staged a similar march.

Speaking to reporters later, Azmi said he was proud of the students for coming out in large numbers to voice their concern.

"Freedom of speech is an issue close to the students' hearts,” he said.

Azmi said he does not know if the students would face disciplinary action for the demonstration, but he is prepared to defend any of them hauled up by the UM administration.

Students are not sheep

Azmi, in his speech to the gathering, expressed gratitude to Universiti Malaya Academic Staff Union (PKAUM) and the UM students union for organising the demonstration.

"(But) my biggest thank you is to the students of UM," said the academician, who has 24 years of teaching experience under his belt.

Commenting on Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin's call to the students not to skip class for Azmi’s sake, he joked that this was probably because Khairy was never absent from class as a student.

"He doesn't understand that all of you here are not pro-Azmi, but because you prioritise human rights and freedom of speech.

"We will show the country that students are not like sheep, that they know about important issues.

"This is about freedom of expression, this is not just about freeing Azmi Sharom," he added.

 

Azmi also urged students to seek freedom for preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin, who was charged with sedition this morning.

"We must ask for the freedom of Wan Ji, Safwan Anang, the late Karpal Singh, Adam Adli, Tian Chua, Rafizi Ramli, N Surendran, Teresa Kok and Susan Loone as well as the president of Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma).

"This is the difference between us and those who defend the Sedition Act.

"It is not good for him (Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman) as well. Although I don't agree with what he says, we must defend his rights to speak out,” Azmi said, referring to all caught in the sedition dragnet.

'No intimidation'

Meanwhile, Economics and Administration Faculty lecturer Terence Gomez said that this is the first time the student and academic staff union has come together for a cause, since he started teaching in UM in 1993.

Commenting on the spate of arrests, he said academicians would not be able to publish controversial articles should it continue.

"We won't accept the kind of intimidation we are being subjected to. I say stop this nonsense, now."

The protest ended at 2pm, after speeches by various students and academicians, with the protesters singing the national anthem.

Students participating in the students union strike will skip their classes until 4.30pm today, to attend a lecture in the campus on the issue.

Also present at the demonstration at the MU campus were DAP MPs Gobind Singh Deo (Puchong), Lim Lip Eng (Segambut) and Teresa Kok (Seputeh).

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