Zunar awarded RM18k over cartoon books seizure, damaged artwork

Political cartoonist Zunar has been awarded RM18,000 in damages for the 2010 seizure of 66 copies of a collection of cartoons titled 'Cartoon-o-phobia' and a collage which was damaged, believed to be depicting the prime minister and his wife.

A consent judgment was recorded before Kuala Lumpur High Court deputy registrar K Pavani. Also present were Zunar’s lawyer Latheefa Koya and federal counsel Safiyyah Omar who represented the defendants.

Zunar had named the government, the two police officers who confiscated the cartoon books and artwork, former inspector-general of police Ismail Omar and the Home Ministry as defendants in his suit.

Speaking to reporters later, the cartoonist, whose full name is Zulkiflee Anuar Ul Haque, said that “it was not about the quantum” of the damages.

“It’s more of a lesson to the police and the Malaysian government for them not to use criminal laws such as the Sedition Act to confiscate artwork and cartoon books and to keep them under custody for more than five years.

“This is a violation of cartoonists’ rights. We have rights, too,” he stressed.

Pointing out how the amount paid today was for his works seized in 2010, Zunar said more than 40 pieces of his cartoon works are still under the custody of the police in Penang after they were seized during an exhibition in the state in November last year.

“Then the police in Kuala Lumpur confiscated more than 1,300 works. Today's judgment is about that.

“If the court already ordered police to return the books and artworks, I will also take legal action against the police to return the books. And police have to be responsible for damages, if any,” he added.

Zunar’s 66 copies of 'Cartoon-o-phobia' and the collage were confiscated in September 2010 after the police raided his office and detained him for sedition.

On July 2012, the Kuala Lumpur High Court, while declaring Zunar's arrest as lawful, had ordered the police to return the books and the drawing. The decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal in 2013.

The items were finally returned to Zunar two years later.

Although the cartoon books were not damaged, the same cannot be said for the collage.

Hair used to depict the prime minister’s wife was made from real hair collected from barber shops and then glued on to the A2-sized collage, explained Zunar.

Most of the hair had come unattached from the collage following the confiscation.- Mkini