Police will seek a remand order today to extend the detention of political cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, who is currently under arrest in Penang under the Sedition Act for insulting Prime Minister Najib Razak.
The 2016 recipient of the Cartoonist for Peace Award popularly known as Zunar, was also arrested under Section 504 of the Penal Code, which deals with intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace.
"Zunar will be remanded tomorrow (Sunday). He will be brought to the George Town Magistrate Court at 9am for the purpose of the police seeking a remand order to further detain him," said lawyer Ramkarpal Singh when met last night.
"We will be there to oppose the application, for various reasons we will reveal tomorrow," he said after meeting Zunar at the Northeast Police Headquarters on Jalan Pattani.
Ramkarpal said Zunar was in "good spirits".
However the police have not taken a statement from Zunar although he has been in detention since 6pm yesterday.
"We are not satisfied or happy with this. There was ample opportunity and time to do that today, to take the statement and do other things and avoid the necessity of getting a remand order," said Ramkarpal, who is Bukit Gelugor MP.
"All this will be raised at the remand proceedings," he said.
Ramkarpal said Zunar was not yet in the lock-up when the lawyers left him with the police last night.
Cops refuse bail
Another of Zunar's lawyers RSN Rayer said last night, appeals were made to the police to consider allowing Zunar to post bail last night.
"He had surrendered himself and cooperated with the police to recover all the artworks," said the DAP Seri Delima assemblyperson.
"The arresting officer said he would consider it," Rayer told reporters outside the police headquarters.
At Komtar about 8pm last night, 10 of Zunar's artworks still mounted on their stands were seized by police and carted away in a police truck.
Each artwork fixed with stands costs approximately RM1,500.
Accompanying Ramkarpal and Rayer was lawyer cum PKR Kebun Bunga assemblyperson Cheah Kah Peng. They failed to get Zunar released on bail last night.
On Saturday around 3pm, Zunar's exhibition at Komtar was disrupted by a group of 30 Umno members led by Penang Umno Youth chief Rafizal Abdul Rahim .
Other than being threatened by punches and physical assault, the mob kicked down and damaged two of his artworks.
Rafizal threatened to use force on Zunar should he fail to end his exhibition which was supposed to be held until Dec 2.
Rafizal lodged a police report on Saturday claiming Zunar's artwork was an insult to Najib, who is also BN and Umno chief.- Mkini
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