Insulting royalty - preacher Wan Ji's sentence enhanced, begins jail term today

Preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin, who was sentenced to nine months' jail on a 2014 sedition charge, had his sentence enhanced to one year after the Shah Alam High Court allowed an appeal by the prosecution. 

The sedition charge was over a Facebook post about the Selangor ruler, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah. 

Wan Ji was charged under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act which carries a maximum jail term of three years, as well as a maximum fine of RM5,000.

Judge Abdul Halim Aman ordered Wan Ji to begin his sentence at the Kajang Prison today, his lawyer Radzlan Jalaluddin told Malaysiakini.

The Shah Alam Sessions Court had sentenced Wan Ji, a former aide to Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, to nine month's jail last after he pleaded guilty in September 2014. 

He was granted a stay pending the outcome of his appeal on the sentence, as well as that of the prosecution for a heavier sentence.

“Another application (for a stay) was made verbally today, but the court instructed us to file a formal application instead.

“He (Wan Ji) has been sent to jail to serve his sentence. In the meantime, we will file the application,” Radzlan said, adding that they will appeal against the sentence.

“We respect the judge’s decision today, but we are shocked.

“This is as Pakatan Harapan had promised to abolish the Sedition Act 1948 and secondly, the latest trends show that sedition cases at the High Court or Court of Appeal do not see jail sentences, only fines.

“We think today's sentence is extreme and that is why we will appeal,” he said.

Wan Ji was a former aide to Lim when the latter was Penang chief minister. He left to set up an NGO focussing on interfaith dialogue. 

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