A woman and her boyfriend who were charged two days ago over the controversial stand-up routine at a comedy club in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur last month are resorting to crowdfunding to raise the total RM40,000 bail for their release from custody.
When contacted, lawyer R Sivaraj confirmed that Siti Nuramira Abdullah, 26, and Alexander Navin Vijayachandran, 38, were forced to use this method as the bail amount was quite high relative to their humble financial circumstances.
The lawyer said so far, they only managed to secure a pledge of RM3,000 from other lawyers, non-governmental organisations (NGO), and members of the public.
“They have some savings in their bank accounts, but they are in prison, so they cannot access their accounts.
“Their neighbours (who are their bailors) said their hands are tied as they want to take out using a debit card but they do not know the pin,” Sivaraj said.
‘Separate satellite prisons’
The lawyer said their difficulties are accentuated by the fact that the couple is being held in separate “satellite prisons” for Covid-19 testing before they are respectively sent to their respective main prison lockups.
Sivaraj said Siti Nuramira is at the Kuala Kubu Baru satellite prison before she is to be transferred to Kajang women’s prison, while Alexander is at Beranang satellite lockup before he is to head to Sungai Buloh prison.
The lawyer added that they are still looking into which crowdfunding platform for the public to help contribute to raising the bail amount.
Sivaraj said this is because they seek a platform that facilitates an easy return of the donated sum back to their donors, following the completion of the couple’s court cases.
On Wednesday, Siti Nuramira and Alexander were hauled before separate courts to be charged in relation to her controversial stand-up routine at the comedy club.
Before the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court, she claimed trial to causing enmity and ill-will with the open-mic routine.
Before the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court, Alexander pleaded not guilty to improper use of network facilities to transmit obscene communication in order to annoy another person.
Both courts then set bail at RM20,000 for each of the accused.
Previously, a video of a woman who took off her headscarf and baju kurung on stage at a comedy club had gone viral on social media.
Crackhouse Comedy Club said it banned the woman and her partner from the venue immediately after her stand-up performance and proceeded to lodge a police report.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall has since suspended the club’s licence.
The suspension, however, received criticisms from comedians and netizens who believed the club should not be punished for the woman's action during an open-mic event on the premises. - Mkini
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