NEW YORK - The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the Malaysian government's censorship of the news website and blog Malaysia Today. The blocking was the first time officials have violated the government's 1996 policy pledge not to censor the Internet.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the state agency charged with oversight of the communications industry, ordered the state-run Internet service provider on Tuesday to block the news site, according to Malaysia Today's founder and editor, Raja Petra.
The site was first blocked at 6 p.m., coinciding exactly with Raja Petra's plan to post real-time results of a special election, which opposition politician Anwar Ibrahim won in a landslide.
A group of Malaysian bloggers, including Raja Petra, positioned themselves at 28 different polling stations to monitor the official counting and results.
On Wednesday, the MCMC ordered all 21 of the country's ISPs to block Malaysia Today because it carried materials it deemed seditious and aimed at inciting racial hatred, according to Raja Petra, who reviewed a copy of the official document. It was unclear how many ISPs followed the government's orders.
When Raja Petra inquired about why his website was censored, an official told him it was because of inflammatory comments appended to a January 16 article, he said.
Raja Petra republished the article and has kept Malaysia Today up and running through a mirror site and the creation of new URLs hosted in three different countries outside of Malaysia, he told CPJ.
"The Malaysian government has reneged on its pledge not to censor the Internet by blocking Malaysia Today, and we call for the order to be immediately withdrawn," said Shawn Crispin, CPJ's Asia program consultant.
"Online curbs have no place in a democratic society," he said.
Malaysia Today is one of the leading news sites in the country.
"I can't pin down the exact reason they have censored Malaysia Today, but they are obviously trying to silence us," Raja Petra told CPJ.
Raja Petra has come under harassment for his journalism.
On August 21, police officers raided his home in search of documents related to a story he posted about opposition politician Anwar.
Raja Petra has refused to hand over the documents and is scheduled to report to police on September 4 for interrogation.
On May 6, Raja Petra was charged under Malaysia's draconian Sedition Act and imprisoned for three days over his critical postings about a murder trial in which he has implicated Deputy Prime Minister, Defense Minister Najib Abdul Razak, and his wife.
Najib has denied the allegations. The trial is scheduled to start on October 6. He faces a possible three years in prison.
Raja Petra also faces three separate charges of criminal defamation over postings he made about the same trial. Those proceedings begin on November 3 and he faces a possible two years in prison for each of the charges if found guilty.
Committee to Protect Journalists
04/09/08
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