Case management for six charged under Sedition Act to be heard on Sept 13
(The Sun Daily) – The Sessions Court here has set Sept 13 for the case management of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president Tian Chua (pic), Sultan Idris University of Education student Adam Adli Abd Halim and four other opposition activists who were charged with making seditious speeches at the Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall in May this year.
Judge Norsharidah Awang made the decision today after deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Abazafree Mohd Abbas informed the court to consolidate all charges because the accused had issued their speeches at the same place and time on May 13.
He added the witnesses present then were the same and it would be inconvenient for them to attend separate hearings.
Defendant counsel Mohd Haijan Omar said in response that each statement raised by the six accused must be studied to determine if it was seditious in nature.
He added that the time range stated was insufficient for the six accused to make an application for a joint trial.
At the same time,defence counsel Latheefa Koya informed the court that three of the accused, Tian Chua, Adam Adli and Datuk Mohd Tamrin Tun Ghafar Baba, have applied to strike out the charges at the High Court.
On May 23, Adam Adli, 25, pleaded not guilty to a charge of making a speech containing seditious remarks to incite the people to change the government in an illegal manner.
Subsequently on May 29, Tian Chua, whose actual name is Chua Tian Chang, Malaysian Students Solidarity chairman Muhammmad Safwan Anang @ Talib, 24, PAS member Mohd Tamrin Abdul Ghafar, 63, and two other opposition activists Haris Fathillah Mohamed Ibrahim, 54, and Hishamuddin Md Rais, 62, pleaded not guilty to the same charges.
All of them were charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948 (Act 15) which carries a five year jail term or a maximum fine of RM5,000 upon conviction.
They allegedly committed the offence at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall at Jalan Maharajalela, Dang Wangi here between 8.55pm and 11.15pm on May 13 this year.
The defence team was led by lawyer Gobind Singh Deo.
