Activist Fahmi arrested over Musa Aman poster
Activist and graphic designer Fahmi Reza has been arrested in Penampang, Sabah today over his caricature of Sabah Governor Musa Aman.
Sabah police commissioner Jauteh Dikun confirmed the arrest when contacted by Malaysiakini.
Earlier at around 5pm today, Fahmi posted that he was on the...
Editor’s Note: A clarification has been added noting that a Dec 20 warning against sharing Fahmi’s artwork was a parody by the artist, and not an official notice by the MCMC.
Activist and graphic designer Fahmi Reza has been arrested in Penampang, Sabah today over his caricature of Sabah Governor Musa Aman.
Sabah police commissioner Jauteh Dikun confirmed the arrest when contacted by Malaysiakini.
Earlier at around 5pm today, Fahmi posted that he was on the way to a police station for questioning about the poster of Musa that he posted in Kota Kinabalu.
He said he was being investigated under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948, Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act for abuse of network facilities, and Section 504 of the Penal Code for intentional insult to provoke a breach of peace.
“If I don’t update by 8pm, it means I’ll be sleeping in a lock-up tonight,” he said.
Musa’s ascent
Musa was appointed as Sabah’s governor on Dec 17 and will assume office beginning Jan 1, 2025. He previously faced 46 charges of corruption and money laundering but was ultimately acquitted.
READ MORE: Why is Musa Aman's appointment controversial?
Fahmi’s caricature features Musa with his ceremonial headgear as Sabah’s governor, holding a RM100 note in his mouth. An earlier version of this caricature also features the words “Sabah’s Number One Corruptor” in Malay.
According to his social media posts, he put up the poster on a wall in Asia City, Kota Kinabalu on Dec 27 but it was taken down hours later.
In response to the arrest, the human rights group Suaram demanded Fahmi’s immediate release.
“Fahmi’s detention represents a draconian response to the exercise of freedom of expression using satire, continuing an alarming escalation of state intimidation since the Dec 19 investigations.
“Efforts to stifle his criticism included the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s public warning on Dec 20 to stop sharing Fahmi’s poster online, and the swift removal of posters in less than five hours by Kota Kinabalu authorities, including the police, that he put up on Dec 27 in the city.
“The government’s persistent targeting of Fahmi, despite Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Dec 21 statement opposing his arrest, underscores its growing intolerance toward criticisms against the government,” it said in a statement.
The MCMC did not issue a warning against sharing Fahmi’s poster on Dec 20.
Instead Suaram appeared to have misunderstood a satirical graphic by Fahmi in which he lampooned the MCMC as “McDani”.
