74 Dictating the Internet: Case of Wan Ji Wan Hussin In September 2014, Wan Ji Wan Hussin, an Islamic preacher, was charged under section 4(1) of the Sedition Act for statements made on his Facebook account on religious matters and the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, where he had reportedly questioned the status of the Sultan as the head of Islam and claimed the Sultan’s actions were not fully compliant with Islamic teaching.250 In April 2018, Wan Ji was sentenced to nine months in prison.251 In July 2019, the Shah Alam High Court rejected his appeal against his sentence, instead increasing his imprisonment term to one year. The court, however, granted a stay against his sentence pending appeal.252 In a similar case: In September 2014, activist Ali Abd Jalil was charged with three counts under the Sedition Act for Facebook posts allegedly insulting the Sultan of Selangor and the Johor royal family.253 He was arrested, released, rearrested and held in custody in different prisons before being released at the end of September.254 In October 2014, he fled to Sweden, fearing his personal safety, where he was granted political asylum in 2016.255 250 The Star Online, ‘PAS ulama on sedition charge’, 11 September 2014, Available at: https://www. thestar.com.my/news/nation/2014/09/11/pas-ulama-on-sedition-charge-the-expanel-memberaccused-of-belittling-role-of-selangor-ruler/; Aysha A Zaharin, ‘Sultanate affairs and free speech conundrum’, New Straits Times, 31 July 2019, Available at: https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/ columnists/2019/07/508834/sultanate-affairs-and-free-speech-conundrum 251 Rafidah Mat Ruzki, ‘Penang CM’s Office staff jailed for seditious statements against Selangor Sultan’, New Straits Times, 9 April 2018, Available at: https://www.nst.com.my/news/crimecourts/2018/04/355163/penang-cms-office-staff-jailed-seditious-statements-against 252 Article 19, ‘Malaysia: Court extends sentence for criticism of royalty’, 9 July 2019, Available at: https://www.article19.org/resources/malaysia-court-extends-sentence-for-criticism-of-royalty/ 253 Free Malaysia Today, ‘Ali Abd Jalil says he’s now a PR of Sweden’, 19 July 2016 (‘FMT, 19 July 2016’) Available at: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2016/07/19/ali-abd-jalilsays-hes-now-a-pr-of-sweden/ 254 Astro Awani, ‘Ali Abd Jalil seeks political asylum in Sweden’, 25 October 2014, Available at: http:// english.astroawani.com/malaysia-news/ali-abd-jalil-seeks-political-asylum-sweden-46952 255 FMT, 19 July 2016; Adam Abu Bakar, ‘Exiled activist in Sweden yearns for freedom in Malaysia’, 2 September 2017, Available at: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2017/09/02/ exiled-activist-in-sweden-yearns-for-freedom-in-malaysia/