101 East

Malaysia: Crackdown on Freedom

Meet the Malaysians arrested under a controversial law that critics say is being used to silence government opponents.

“I will keep drawing until the last drop of my ink,” says the Malaysian cartoonist known as Zunar. “It doesn’t matter what you do to me. You can chain my hands, chain my neck, you chain my legs, but I still use my mouth to draw.”

One of dozens of Malaysians arrested for sedition in the past year, Zunar remains defiant.

In the Southeast Asian country, it is illegal to publish or say anything that incites hatred or contempt against any race or religion, the Malay ruling family, and until recently, the government and judiciary.

Critics say the rise in sedition arrests represents a government attempt to stifle dissent and silence its opponents.

101 East meets those facing jail for sedition and investigates the chilling effect the crackdown is having on free speech in Malaysia.

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