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Malaysian court releases 3 editors held for sedition

Trio held for suggesting the country's royals had rejected the implementation of sharia in a state in the country's northeast.

31.03.2015 - Update : 31.03.2015
Malaysian court releases 3 editors held for sedition

By P Prem Kumar

KUALA LUMPUR 

A Malaysian Magistrate Court released three online news portal editors on Tuesday, arrested for publishing news suggesting the country's royals had rejected the implementation of strict punishments meted out under sharia in a state in the country's northeast.

The trio had been held on suspicion of sedition Monday, and computers and other items confiscated during a raid on the offices of The Malaysian Insider.

The court late today rejected an application by police to remand the portal's managing editor, Lionel Morais, and editors Amin Iskandar and Zulkifli Sulong.

They were released at 7.45 p.m. (GMT1245) from police custody, lawyer Nadia Zulkifli - Sulong's daughter - told The Anadolu Agency via text message. 

She said the trio had given full cooperation to the police by disclosing the news source and writer. 

The trio were among five people nabbed by Malaysian police after the portal alleged that the Conference of Rulers - where all state Royal heads meet on a monthly basis - had rejected a proposed private member's bill to the Parliament to amend the federal constitution, to enable the punishments to be enforced in the state of Kelantan.

The countrty's Islamist opposition party has called for strict enforcement of sharia for Muslims, including amputations and stonings.

Malaysian Insider chief executive Jahabar Sadiq and its parent entity The Edge Media Group's CEO Ho Kay Tat, remain in detention, with remand orders yet to be submitted to the magistrate. 

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