The Attorney-General's Chambers today said it has withdrawn the sedition charge against Johor PKR chief Hassan Karim.

This follows the chambers agreeing to a representation letter sent by Hassan's lawyer Jimmy Puah.

Hassan told Malaysiakini that the case was fixed for mention today at the Johor Baru Sessions Court to set the trial date but the DPP Syeela Marlina Uttaman then told the judge that the charge had been withdrawn.

Following this, judge Kamarudin Kamsun granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal.

Kamarudin also ordered the RM5,000 bail money to be returned.

Hassan was previously charged under Section 4(1) (b) under the Sedition Act following the remarks he allegedly made during a ceramah on Anwar Ibrahim on Feb 13, last year.

This was three days after Anwar was convicted by the Federal Court for sodomy and sentenced to five years jail.

Hassan is the second person this month to have a charge under the Sedition Act withdrawn after Universiti Malaya law lecturer Azmi Sharom had the prosecution against him discontinued last Friday.

Prior to that, Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali had also dropped the sedition charge against Seputeh MP, Teresa Kok.

Faces other charges

Hassan, a lawyer, still faces another three sedition charge and also alternative charges under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Act for his three tweets regarding the Selangor sultan.

He claimed trial to the three charges last November.

Others still facing sedition charges include cartoonist Zunar, who has nine, student activists Adam Adli and Safwan Awang, activist Hishamuddin Rais, Padang Serai MP N Surendran, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad and Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia president Abdullah Zaik.