KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 — The Sessions Court has ordered blogger Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, better known as Papagomo, to enter his defence on a charge of making seditious statements that incited hatred against His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia.
Judge Norma Ismail made the ruling after finding that the prosecution, represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nursyuhada Husna Sulaiman, had successfully established a prima facie case against the accused.
Lawyer Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali informed the court that the defence would call a single witness, namely Azri himself, during the proceedings.
She then set November 4 for the accused to testify in court.
On May 2 last year, Azri, a former Umno Youth exco member, pleaded not guilty to posting a seditious publication on his X (formerly Twitter) account over Sultan Ibrahim’s audience with the owner of KK Supermart & Superstore Sdn Bhd.
He was charged under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948, which carries a maximum fine of RM5,000 or imprisonment not exceeding three years or both, if convicted.
The trial, which began in October last year, had heard testimony from nine prosecution witnesses.
