Sex bloggers plead not guilty to sedition charge

Sex bloggers plead not guilty to sedition charge

POSTED: 18 Jul 2013 4:36 PM

Malaysia's infamous sex blogging couple on Thursday pleaded not guilty in the district court for posting insensitive Ramadan comments on their Facebook page and pornographic pictures in their blogs.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's infamous sex blogging couple on Thursday pleaded not guilty in the district court in Kuala Lumpur to three charges related to their action in posting their insensitive Ramadan greeting on their Facebook page and pornographic pictures in their blogs.

The charges against Alvin Tan Jye Yee, 25, and Vivian Lee May Ling, 24, were read before Judge Murtazadi Amran.

The couple were denied bail and will be jailed pending trial, said a court official. The next court date has been set for August 23.

Sedition is punishable by up to three years in jail.

In the first charge, they were jointly accused of making a seditious posting on their Facebook page by uploading a photo of themselves eating bak kut teh (a Chinese herbal pork soup) with a caption "Selamat Berbuka Puasa" - a Malay greeting for breaking fast.

They allegedly committed the offence at 10.48pm between July 11 and 12.

They were charged under subsection 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948 which is punishable under subsection 4(1) of the same Act and read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.

For the first offence, they face a fine up to RM5,000, an imprisonment up to three years or both, and imprisonment up to five years for subsequent offence.

The couple later apologised in a video on YouTube for the posting, which sparked widespread anger. Their Facebook page is no longer accessible.

Prime Minister Najib Razak criticised the couple on Wednesday while discussing implementing a new law to replace the colonial-era sedition act, which has been slammed by critics as a tool to crack down on dissent.

"The insolent and impudent act by the young couple who insulted Islam showed that freedom of expression and irresponsible opinion can jeopardise the community," he was quoted by The Star as saying.

Last year Lee, a kindergarten teacher, and Tan, who is currently unemployed and a former law student at the National University of Singapore, sparked outrage in Malaysia and Singapore by posting erotic photographs and videos of their lovemaking as well as close-ups of their genitals on a blog.

The duo, who said they aimed to destigmatise sex, shut down the blog because of family pressure in the conservative countries, where pornography is illegal.

- BERNAMA/AFP/fa

- wong chee tat :)