I was quizzed under criminal law – now police targets my online customers

Today, I was questioned for about 45 minutes by the police regarding my new cartoon book, “Komplot Penjarakan Anwar” (Plot to jail Anwar) at the Dang Wangi Police Station in Kuala Lumpur.

I was investigated under the “Classified Crime Section” involving three different laws. The laws are:

a) Printing Presses and Publications Act
b) Sedition Act
c) Penal Code

Two separate police reports were made against me in two different police stations regarding the production of the book. Through out the investigation session, I refused to answer to any of the 27 questions asked by the police.

In the latest development, the police have asked the online payment gateway that handles my book transactions to disclose the list of customers who have purchased my books through my official website, zunar.my. In the email that was sent by MOLPay Sdn Bhd to me, it stated that they received a formal letter from the Police to disclose the list of customers.

“Police have sent a formal request for MOLPay Sdn Bhd to provide the online payment receipts of customers who have purchased the said book via your website www.zunar.my in which MOLPay has no choice but to furnish them with the requested details,” the email from MOLPay stated.

Last week, three of my assistants were detained for five hours for selling my books. Several days after that, my webmaster was also summoned by the police to give statements.

THE BACKGROUND

For the longest time, Zunar has been attacked by the police and the Home Ministry for producing cartoons that were purported to be detrimental to public order. More than 400 copies of his books were confiscated and five of his books titled “Perak Darul Kartun”, “1 Funny Malaysia”, “Isu Dalam Kartun” Vol. 1, 2 and 3 were banned by the

Home Minister from 2009 to 2010. Government’s determination to persecute Zunar was extended to printers, vendors and bookstores around the country – their places were raided and they were warned to not print and carry any of Zunar’s book in future.

In 2011, Zunar was conferred “Courage in Editorial Cartooning Award” by the Cartoonist Rights Network International, a cartoonists’ rights NGO based in Washington, USA. And again in October 2014, one of Zunar’s book, “Pirate of the Carry-BN” has been accepted into the Library of Congress in Washington.

WEBSITE-Cover-buku-konspirasi

(BM) Buku Komplot Penjarakan Anwar

(ENG) The Conspiracy To Imprison Anwar Book