Zunar files for judicial review to challenge travel ban

KUALA LUMPUR: Popular cartoonist Zunar (pix) has filed a judicial review application to challenge a travel restriction imposed when he was about to go to Singapore last Oct 17 and has sought an order to quash the ban.
Zunar, whose real name is Zulkiflee SM Anwarul Haque, filed the review through lawyers Eric Paulsen and Melissa Sasidharan at the High Court registry today.
He wants a court order to quash the instruction to ban him to travel abroad on Oct 17, which he was told orally, and an order to direct the respondents to allow him to travel outside the country without any restriction.
He named the Immigration Department director-general, Home Minister and Malaysian government as the respondents.
In the application, Zunar wants a "prohibition" order to prevent the respondents from making a decision or instruction to "blacklist" him from travelling abroad.
Alternatively, he wants a "prohibition" order to prevent the respondents from making a decision or an order to ban him from travelling overseas without giving him reasons and allowing him a right to be heard.
Zunar is also seeking for, among others, a declaration that the travel ban contravenes Article 5(1), Article 8 and 9 of the Federal Constitution and therefore, the instruction is null, void and unconstitutional.