Zunar’s cartoon summarising his “problems”
Another chapter in the Malaysian government’s persecution of Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, a Malaysian cartoonist who signs his name as ” Zunar, a Malaysian cartoonist who signs his work as “Zunar”, which can be described in no uncertain terms as repression.
This author has been a political cartoonist for more than two decades. Much of this time, he has had to suffer persecution, censorship and other outrages by the government for denouncing corruption in Malaysia.
Zunar is now facing further investigation while the government continues to ban him from leaving the country, an order which it issued in 2016 as part of an ongoing campaign of judicial harassment.
29/11/2017. Attending to the media in court. Photo: Zunar
Zunar is once again being investigated under the “Multimedia Act” of Section 233 (1) (a) of the CMA for something as ambiguous as ” improper use of network facilities or network service”. Clearly an excuse to silence his cartoons critical of the alleged corruption cases.
For “breaking” piggy banks
This time, the investigation is related to a complaint made in August about a cartoon alluding to a corruption scandal at Malaysia’s state-owned enterprise 1MDB malaysian public company, although Zunar has drawn many other cartoons related to the activities of this company.
In the cartoon in question, the cartoonist shows hen-shaped piggy banks representing public and government agency trusts that have been broken to allegedly pay off debts incurred by 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Vignette subject of investigation sealed by the Royal Malaysian Police
Zunar’s phone was confiscated after being questioned despite his cooperation in the investigation.
The cartoonist was unable to attend a freedom of expression conference organised by ARTICLE 19 in London due to the travel ban, so his cartoons had to represent him at the event and participate via video conference.
ARTICLE19 event. Thursday 30 November. London. Photo:Zunar
Background
On 20 November 2104, at 15:00, he was interrogated by the police at the Dang Wangi police station in Kuala Lumpur. This was announced by the cartoonist a few hours earlier.
He was questioned for 45 minutes about his cartoon book “Komplot Penjarakan Anwar” for which he is being investigated on charges of sedition.
In 2015 it is charged with 9 counts of sedition facing up to 43 years in prison.
28 January 2015 – While he was at a conference in London, police raided his office and confiscated more than 150 books.
14 February 2015 Hundreds of copies of his book Ros in Kangkong in Land are confiscated by the police directly from the publisher’s lorry as he transported them to the venue of his presentation.
17 October 2016 – Zunar is detained at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and is currently banned from leaving the country.
November 2016 zunar is again targeted by the judiciary for criticising in a tweet the 2015 imprisonment of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy.
On 26 November 2016 an author’s exhibition is cancelled because of the attack by protesters pro-government.
One day after this incident (27/11/2016), Zunar was arrested under sedition law and released on bail shortly after.
On 17 December 2016 he was re-arrested along with four other people and 1000 copies of his books were confiscated. He was released on bail hours later.
On 11 April 2017, the Supreme Court ruled that Zunar would receive compensation of 18,000 Ringit (about €3,800) for special damages for the seizure of 66 books and a painting. The court also ordered that his books be returned to him.
In August 2017 he sued the police for unlawful detention and for the seizure of his books and T-shirts.
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