The High Court in Kuala Lumpur today sentenced blogger Amizudin Ahmat to three months’ jail after finding him guilty of contempt of court by further publishing 11 articles defaming Information, Communications and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim.
Judge Zabariah Mohd Yusof, in her ruling, said that Amizudin had breached a court order prohibiting him from publishing such articles on Rais in his blogsite.
“This is a serious contempt case. The court imposes a custodial order of three months jail, effective today,” she added.
After Zabariah read out her judgment, Amizudin, who was outside the dock, rose and said: “I admit my mistakes. I apologise. I don’t understand.”
To this, Zabariah said that had Amizudin not understood the court order, he should have asked his lawyer.
On Nov 21 last year, Rais, 70, was granted leave to commence committal proceedings against Amizudin in relation to a suit filed by Rais.
On July 19 last year, Rais won his suit and the blogger was ordered by the High Court to pay RM300,000 in damages and RM100,000 in costs to the minister.
Rais filed the suit on Jan 31, 2011, against Amizudin, 42, who is a Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Youth committee member, for defamation over an article posted on the latter’s blogsite,sharpshooterblogger. blogspot.com, on or about Dec 28, 2010.
Judge Zabariah Mohd Yusof, in her ruling, said that Amizudin had breached a court order prohibiting him from publishing such articles on Rais in his blogsite.
“This is a serious contempt case. The court imposes a custodial order of three months jail, effective today,” she added.
After Zabariah read out her judgment, Amizudin, who was outside the dock, rose and said: “I admit my mistakes. I apologise. I don’t understand.”
To this, Zabariah said that had Amizudin not understood the court order, he should have asked his lawyer.
On Nov 21 last year, Rais, 70, was granted leave to commence committal proceedings against Amizudin in relation to a suit filed by Rais.
On July 19 last year, Rais won his suit and the blogger was ordered by the High Court to pay RM300,000 in damages and RM100,000 in costs to the minister.
Rais filed the suit on Jan 31, 2011, against Amizudin, 42, who is a Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Youth committee member, for defamation over an article posted on the latter’s blogsite,sharpshooterblogger. blogspot.com, on or about Dec 28, 2010.
Earlier in mitigation, Amizudin’s lawyer, Ahmad Nizam Hamid, asked the court to not impose the jail sentence on his client by taking into account his client’s apology.
However, counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, representing Rais, said Amizudin had breached the court order not once, but by posting 11 more articles.
“If once, we can regard it as an error, but 11 times, and in the defamatory articles, the contemnor wrote clearly that he was aware of the court order prohibiting him from doing so.
“Perhaps this is the worst and bad contempt proceedings using words which I can described as ‘jijik’ (disgusting),” he added.
- Bernama
However, counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, representing Rais, said Amizudin had breached the court order not once, but by posting 11 more articles.
“If once, we can regard it as an error, but 11 times, and in the defamatory articles, the contemnor wrote clearly that he was aware of the court order prohibiting him from doing so.
“Perhaps this is the worst and bad contempt proceedings using words which I can described as ‘jijik’ (disgusting),” he added.
- Bernama
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