Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Malaysian blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin detained for two years...


A prominent anti-government blogger in Malaysia has been detained for two years on charges of insulting Islam. 

Raja Petra Kamarudin has been held without trial under controversial internal security laws which could see him detained indefinitely. 

He was arrested on 12 September as part of a crackdown on dissent by the Malaysian government, which is facing a mounting challenge from the opposition. 

Raja Petra's lawyer said the order was "a big blow" to civil liberty. 

The BBC's Robin Brant in Kuala Lumpur said the well-known blogger had been a thorn in the side of the Malaysian government, using his blog to become one of its most vociferous critics. 

Raja Petra was accused of insulting Islam and inciting racial tensions through an article he published on the Malaysia Today website. 

The charge is highly sensitive in multi-ethnic Malaysia. 

The arrest came shortly after he used his blog to accuse Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister, Najib Razak, of involvement in the 2007 murder of a Mongolian woman - a charge Mr Razak strongly denies. More...

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