Keadilan Youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor was discharged today for allegedly participating in an illegal assembly after police failed to submit the order to produce the defendant, who is presently serving a two year detention order under the Internal Security Act, in court.

The discharge by the Kuala Lumpur magistrates' court, which did not amount to an acquittal, allows the authorities to recharge Ezam under the same offence if new evidence is produced.

His lawyer, Hasnal Rezua Merican, said the prosecution applied for the dismissal after the police had informed magistrate Sayani Mohd Nor that a document authorising Ezam's presence in court today could not be acquired.

"The entire proceeding only took two minutes," Hasnal said.

Ezam was charged with illegal assembly in Kampung Pasir, Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur, on April 10 this year.

He is currently being held for two years at the Kamunting Detention Centre in Perak together with five other Keadilan and reformasi leaders for allegedly planning to overthrow the government via militant means.

Arrested in April and sent to Kamunting in early June, Ezam is facing a slew of court cases for allegedly participating in numerous illegal assemblies relating to the reformasi movement and contravening the Official Secret Acts by revealing details of the Anti-Corruption Agency's probe into prominent Umno politicians.

In March, he was charged for sedition during an interview with an Utusan Malaysia reporter, in which he allegedly said he was "planning to have daily demonstrations to overthrow the government".

His sedition case would be continuing in January next year.

Illegal publications

Meanwhile, another magistrates' court today postponed to Jan 22 a case involving the publication of magazines without licence.

In that case, an employee at Penerbitan Pemuda publishing house which printed the Haraki magazines, Zabidi Morad is accused of possessing copies the magazines.

Home Ministry officials raided the office of the one-off publication last year, acting on information that its publisher, independent media activist Lutfi Othman, had no licence to print it.

All publications require a printing licence under the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) which also empowers the Home Ministry to issue, refuse or revoke a printing licence.

Zabidi is also to face trial tomorrow for selling 640 copies of another banned publication, Islah, last year. Islah was another one-off publication by Lutfi.