Thrown in prison for drawing cartoons

Cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, or "Zunar", is facing 43 years in prison for criticising the Malaysian government. He speaks to Voices in Danger about his ongoing struggle against a regime increasingly hostile to dissenting voices

Zulkiflee Anwar Haque with one of the drawings that provoked the ire of the Malaysian authorities

Police arrested political cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, author name Zunar, at his home in Kuala Lumpur at 9pm on the night of February 10 this year. Dragged off to jail, he was detained for three days without charge.

Zunar is currently on bail waiting for his court date on November 6. He faces up to 43 years in prison for nine tweets. The prosecution comes under Malaysia’s Sedition Act, a hangover from British colonial rule that was originally instituted in 1948 to suppress nationalist sentiment. Today it is being exploited to silence those who criticise the regime.

Zunar’s charges come after several years of persecution by the Malaysian government in an attempt to intimidate him out of drawing his cartoons. Five of his books have been banned on the grounds that their contents are “detrimental to public order” and his office has been raided repeatedly. Printers, publishers and bookstores are mostly too afraid to print or sell his books since they have also been targeted by police raids and questioning.

In 2010 police arrested and detained Zunar for sedition three hours before the launch of his book, Cartoon-o-phobia, confiscating all his copies: the launch

This is a country with whom we British have strong relations, to which we encourage our people to go on holiday, and yet it’s a corrupt regime

&#13; <p>British political cartoonist Martin Rowson on Malaysia</p>&#13;

went ahead without author or book. This time Zunar was released in one day, after the court ruled police could not suspect him of sedition without having read the book.

The most recent attack comes in response to tweeted cartoons by Zunar, criticising the widely condemned jailing of former deputy Prime Minister and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on sodomy charges. The last cartoon Zunar drew before his arrest spelled out the political motivation for the sentence and criticised Prime Minister Najib Razak’s involvement.

With only hours until he would be locked up to await his trial, Zunar was told his bail fee would be nearly £7,000. He appealed to his supporters on social media and by the next morning he had the money.

Out of jail, Zunar continues to make drawings showing the Malaysian government’s corruption and abuse of power. Explaining his slogan “How can I be neutral, even my pen has a stand” to Voices in Danger he said: “When we have a moral crisis, there is no way for us to remain silent.”

Despite harassment, Zunar is still fighting to be heard. Malaysia’s ruling party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), has been in power in a coalition government since Malaysia’s independence in 1957. “This is too long. I dream of total reform, maybe not in my lifetime, but for future generations.”

Zunar has been able to travel outside of Malaysia while on bail, but still looks forward to attending his trial. He hopes it will invite scrutiny of the government’s corruption: “I want to expose the government with this trial. The pressure is actually on the government to testify to the nine charges.”

Zunar explained that his case demonstrates the government’s unjust manipulation of criminal law: “This is unacceptable to use against a cartoonist. It means the government can detain me first and explain later.”

His supporters say these sedition charges are a sign of the government’s despotism. British political cartoonist Martin Rowson, described Zunar to Voices in Danger as “that most dangerous of things – a persistent clown”.

Criticising the lack of international pressure on Malaysia’s repressive tactics, Rowson called for a greater response: “This is a country with whom we have very strong relations, to which we encourage our people to go on holiday, and yet it’s a corrupt regime.”

Prime Minister Najib pledged he would repeal the antiquated Sedition Act in 2012. But since then it has seen a sharp rise in use. Following the UMNO’s diminished results in last year’s election, scores of politicians, activists, academics and journalists having been investigated or charged in connection with the Act.

Professor Azmi Sharom, a lawyer facing sedition charges, recently challenged the Act in Malaysia’s Federal court, causing Zunar’s trial to be repeatedly adjourned. Azmi argued that it goes against Malaysia’s Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of speech. However, on October 6 Sharom lost the case.

Steven Gan, editor of online news agency Malaysiakini which publishes many of Zunar’s cartoons, said: “Zunar is one of the sharpest political cartoonists in the country and one of the very few who dare to speak up. He’s a human rights activist facing intense harassment, but he’s not buckling.”

The International Federation of Journalists, who represent Zunar, said: “These draconian and colonial laws are being used to silence critics and control and suppress the media.”

Explaining the importance of protecting Zunar’s voice, Rowson said: “He’s the bravest man I’ve ever met. As a cartoonist, he enables people to carry out this essential act of defiance to tyranny: laughing.”