WAN-IFRA

Shaping the Future of the Newspaper

Date

Fri - 25.05.2012


Malaysian police question blogger's wife

Malaysian police question blogger's wife

Marina Lee Abdullah told reporters police are looking to charge her together with her husband, blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin, for her involvement with her husband's site, Malaysia Today, AsiaMedia reported Friday.

Abdullah was interrogated by Malaysian police Wednesday, and Kamaruddin was detained for eight hours July 25 after police filed a report against him, saying he insulted the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the Malaysian King and Islam.

Kamaruddin accompanied Abdullah to Dang Wangi police headquarters, and he said the interrogation lasted for about an hour, AsiaMedia reported. Abdullah was asked if she knew how Malaysia Today was operated, and whether she or anyone she knew was involved in the Web site.

Marina told police that due to Shariah law, as a Muslim, she did not have her husband's permission to talk to police, and was not at liberty to answer questions.

In a telephone interview with AsiaMedia, Kamaruddin said his wife was not worried about the police action taken against her. In 2001, the couple was arrested at a campaign. They were put in chains and detained in separate police stations for 24 hours, he said.

“My family is tough; they are not intimidated. Look at how my wife handled herself. She just cited Islamic law ... they cannot dispute this Islamic law. I wanted the police to say that 'No, you must answer our questions because we do not recognize Islamic law,'” Kamaruddin is quoted by AsiaMedia as saying.

He said 14 Malaysia Today contributors were summoned for interrogation in relation to the case following Abdullah's questioning. Those reporters, who wanted to be unnamed, told Kamaruddin they were asked if they had been invited or asked to write for Malaysia Today, he told AsiaMedia.

Author

Leah McBride Mensching

Date

2007-08-11 07:21

Shaping the Future of the Newspaper


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