Lawyers acting for the jailed teenager Muhammad Amirul Azwan Mohd Shakri have filed a notice of appeal against his sentence to the Johor Baru High Court this morning.

Lawyer Hassan Karim said that as per instructions from Amirul’s family, they are seeking to reduce Amirul’s one-year jail sentence but not looking to overturn his conviction.

Amirul had previously pleaded guilty to 14 counts of intentionally insulting the Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim on Facebook, and was given the maximum jail sentence under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA).

“This is excessive,” Hassan told Malaysiakini when contacted today.

“Why jail him? He could be fined instead. He is a very young offender, only 19 years old and had just left school.

“There are also provisions (under the Criminal Procedure Code) where young offenders can be bound over for good behaviour. Let his family look after him,” he said.

The Johor PKR chief also pointed out that Amirul had no legal representation when he was charged at the Johor Baru Sessions Court.

Section 233 of the CMA criminalises the ‘improper use’ of network facilities with the intent of annoying, abusing, or threatening another person.

The law allows for a jail sentence of up to one year, a fine of up to RM50,000, or both, upon conviction.