Factory operator gets jail for insulting PM on Facebook

PETALING JAYA: A factory operator was sentenced to four months' jail by the Magistrate's Court here today after he pleaded guilty to uploading a cartoon illustration of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak with offensive words on his Facebook account last month.
Magistrate Mohd Azali Ibrahim meted out the punishment on Mohamad Hamizan Ghazali, 24, and ordered him to serve the jail sentence from the date of arrest on Nov 12.
Mohamad Hamizan committed the offence using his Facebook account "Ieyzan Ghazali" at Jalan Melati 2, Taman Paya Rumput Perdana, Melaka Tengah, Melaka, between 12.01 am on Oct 20 and 5.30 pm on Oct 22.
The charge, under Section 233(1)(a)(ii) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and punishable under Section 233(3) of the same Act, carries a fine not exceeding RM50,000 or a maximum jail term of a year or both upon conviction.
Mohamad Hamizan, who was not represented, appealed to the court for a lighter sentence on the ground that he had been remanded for five days.
Deputy public prosecutor Abu Arsalnaa Zainal Abidin, however, pressed for a deterrent sentence. — Bernama