(Bm & Eng) Malaysian government, bound by court desicion, agree tp pay RM18,000 as compensation for damaged of Zunar’s cartoon work

(BM & Eng)
Malaysian government, bound by court desicion, agree to pay RM18,000 as compensation for damaged of Zunar’s cartoon work

The government of Malaysia, bound by the court order today has agreed to pay RM18,000 as a compensation for destroying my orginal political cartoon seven years ago. When the police raided my office and arrested me under the Sedition Act on 24th September 2010, they laso confiscated the drawing which depicted PM Najib and his wife Rosmah, along with then newly published book “Cartoon-O-Phobia”.

In November 2014, upon my suit, the Court of Appeal maintained the decision by the High Court in July 2012 which had instructed the police to return the drawing and the books to me. The original drawing was badly damaged when I received it.

STATEMENT

1. The confiscation of cartoon artworks under the criminal law the Sedition Act is a gross violation of cartoonist’s rights and freedom of expression.

2. To keep the artwork under the police custody for five years and damaging it is a more serious offence. It is clearly an act of intimidation and lack of respect of the work of art.

3. Today’s decision is not about the quantum, but as a lesson to the police and the Malaysian government that using criminal law arbitrarily to confiscate and destroy cartoon works is unacceptable, and was done in bad faith. It is also a clear proof that my book’s title, “Cartoon-O-Phobia” is a right word to describe the character of the Malaysian government.

4. I would also like to remind that there are currently more than 40 of my cartoon works still under police custody in Penang since November 2016, which are also being investigated under the Sedition Act. I will take legal action for the police to return them at they are. The has to be responsible for damages, if any.

5. This goes the same for the 1,300 books which was confiscated by the Kuala Lumpur police, also in November 2016, because according to the police, it is “Detrimental to Parliamentary Democracy.”

Zunar
Political Cartoonist
11 April 2017

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Kerajaan, atas keputusan mahkamah bayar RM18,000 kepada Zunar kerana merosakkan kartun beliau

Kerajaan Malaysia pada hari ini, atas perintah mahkamah, bersetuju membayar RM18,000 sebagai ganti rugi kerana telah merosakkan lukisan kartun asli saya tujuh tahun lalu. Bila sepasukan polis menyerbu pejabat saya dan menangkap saya pada 24 September 2010, mereka juga merampas sebuah lukisan yang menggambarkan karektor PM Najib dan isterinya, Rosmah, bersama buku baru ketika itu, “Cartoon-O-Phobia”.

Selepas saman saya, pada November 2014, Mahkamah Rayuan mengekalkan keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi pada 22 Julai 2012 yang mengarahkan polis memulangkan lukisan dan buku-buku tersebut kepada saya. Tetapi lukisan tersebut telah rosak teruk apabila saya menerimanya.

KENYATAAN

1. Rampasan lukisan kartun di bawah undang-undang jenayah seperti Akta hasutan adalah menyalahi hak asasi kartunis dan hak kebebasan bersuara.

2. Untuk menahan lukisan tersebut dalam lokap polis selama lima tahun dan merosakkannya adalah merupakan kesalahan yang lebih besar. Ia adalah satu bentuk intimidasi dan kejahilan dalam menghormati kerja seni.

3. Keputusan hari ini bukan soal jumlah wang pampasan, tetapi adalah satu pengajaran kepada polis dan kerajaan Malaysia bahawa menggunakan undang-undang jenayah secara wewenang adalah tidak dapat diterima dan berniat jahat. Ia juga bukti jelas bahawa tajuk buku kartun saya, “Cartoon-O-Phobia” adalah perkataan yang tepat untuk menggambarkan watak kerajaan Malaysia.

4. Saya ingin mengingatkan bahawa buat masa ini terdapat lebih 40 karya kartun saya yang dirampas dan masih di lokap polis di Pulau Pinang sejak November 2016, juga disiasat di Akta Hasutan. Saya akan mengambil tindakan perundangan supaya polis memulangkannya kepada saya. Polis harus bertanggungjawab sekiranya terdapat kerosakan pada karya-karya kartun tersebut.

5. Tindakan sama juga akan diambil mengenai 1,300 buah buku saya yang dirampas oleh polis Kuala Lumpur dan masih dalam tahanan mereka juga sejak November tahun lepas kerana diakatakan “Mengancam Demokrasi
Berparlimen”.

Zunar
Kartunis Politik
11 April 2017