Curtailing Free Expression, Opinion and Information Online in Southeast Asia Case of Eric Paulsen In January 2015, Eric Paulsen, human rights lawyer and co-founder of Lawyers for Liberty, was arrested by approximately 20 police officers and detained under the Sedition Act for investigation, in relation to a post he had made on Twitter alleging that Malaysia’s Islamic Development Department (Jakim) was promoting extremism.276 Paulsen was charged under section 4(1)(c) of the Act in February. In August 2018, the Attorney-General’s Office withdrew the charge against Paulsen.277 Case of Zunar In April 2015, political cartoonist Zunar was charged with nine counts under the Sedition Act for posts he had made on his Twitter account criticizing a Federal Court decision following a trial of then-leader of a key opposition party, Anwar Ibrahim.278 Zunar faced up to 43 years’ imprisonment under section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act under the charges. Between 2009 and 2015, Zunar, his sales assistants and the webmaster of his website and online bookstore had been arrested and detained for investigation under sedition charges in at least six separate occasions, for the publication and sale of his cartoon books.279 In July 2018, following a change in government after elections in which the Pakatan Harapan coalition which Anwar Ibrahim led was voted into power, the Attorney-General’s Office withdrew its charges against Zunar.280 276 277 278 279 280 Sedition Act and section 9(5) of the Peaceful Assembly Act. ICJ, ‘Malaysia: stop the harassment and intimidation of Women’s March organizers’, 15 March 2019, Available at: https://www.icj.org/ malaysia-stop-the-harassment-and-intimidation-of-womens-march-organizers/ Frontline Defenders, ‘Case History: Eric Paulsen’, Available at: https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/ en/case/case-history-eric-paulsen Ida Lim, ‘Prosecution drops sedition cases against PSM’s Arul, lawyer Eric Paulsen’, Malay Mail, 15 August 2018 (‘Malay Mail, 15 August 2018’), Available at: https://www.malaymail.com/ news/malaysia/2018/08/15/prosecution-drops-sedition-cases-against-psms-arul-lawyer-ericpaulsen/1662642 Astro Awani, ‘Cartoonist Zunar claims trial to sedition charges’, 3 April 2015, Available at: http:// english.astroawani.com/malaysia-news/cartoonist-zunar-claims-trial-sedition-charges-57007 Communication No. MYS 1/2015 from UN Special Rapporteurs on freedom of expression, assembly and association and on the situation of human rights defenders to the Government of Malaysia, 25 February 2015, Available at: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/ DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=20953 Maizatul Nazlina, ‘Zunar sedition case withdrawn’, The Star Online, 31 July 2018, Available at: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/07/31/zunar-sedition-case-withdrawn-counseland-mp-also-freed-of-charges-under-act/ 79