International watchdog organisations for journalists today called on Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar to immediately release blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin who was yesterday sentenced to a two-year detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Calling it a "real concern", New York-based non-profit organisation, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said online commentators should not be jailed because of their articles.

"A two-year jail term imposed at the government's sole discretion against one of its known critics is cause for real concern. We call on the home minister to overturn this sentence immediately," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia programme coordinator in a statement.

In a separate statement, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said the blogger’s detention sent a "frightening message" to the government’s critics that dissent will not be tolerated.

"In a time of political instability, a free media is all the more crucial to ensure proper democratic process. Far from setting an example in the region, Malaysia is hurtling down an anti-democratic and authoritarian path," said IFJ Asia-Pacific.

bar council sedition forum 110808 raja petra 04 The organisation demanded that the government release Raja Petra immediately and "cease using the ISA to clamp down on journalism and free expression in Malaysia".

Yesterday, the controversial blogger was sent to the Kamunting detention centre in Taiping, Perak, to begin his two-year detention without trial under the draconian law.

The detention was approved by the home minister who signed the detention order for the blogger to be held under section 8(1) of the tough security law, the night before a harbeas corpus was filed to secure his release.

Under the ISA, the initial two-year detention period can be renewed indefinitely.

According to Raja Petra’s lawyer J Chandra, the blogger was arrested for publishing articles on his news portal, Malaysia Today , which allegedly tarnished the leadership of the country and insulted the sanctity of Islam.

The former newspaper columnist had earlier been charged with sedition and defamation after linking Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife to the sensational murder of a Mongolian woman.

Clear abuse of archaic law

Another a non-governmental organisation, Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) also condemned the detention, calling it a "clear abuse of an archaic law".

In a statement issued today, its executive director V Gayathry claimed the present administration is using the act "to safeguard its shaky position".

"It is clear abuse of an archaic law created by the colonialists to curtail militant communists who were threatening the colonial administration then, and apparently perpetuated by the present administration to safeguard its shaky position," she said.

The ISA was inherited from the country’s British rulers and was initially used to deal with communist insurgents. However, the draconian law has been a bone of contention between human rights activists and the government for decades.

The CIJ also expressed their concern that Raja Petra's detention would send a chilling message to other bloggers, prevent future whistle blowers from safely exposing a wrong-doing, and dampen the fervour of public discussion on critical issues.