MALAYSIA
Written by COMFORT 95.1FM on April 3, 2018
MALAYSIA
It is now law in Malaysia that fake news can send an offender to prison of up to six years.
Prime Minister, Najib Razak, secured a simple majority in Parliament to pass the Anti-Fake News 2018 bill, silencing critics who said it was aimed at curbing dissent and free speech ahead of a general election.
The law also sets out fines of up to five hundred thousand Ringgit for persons found to be guilty of spreading fake news.
The government has assured that the law would not impinge on freedom of speech and fake news cases would be handled through an independent court process.
Law Minister, Azalina Othman, explained that fake news is any “news, information, data and reports which is or are wholly or partly false”.
