Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Malaysia Punishes Free Speech By Shutting Down Paper

Oh and just to clear things up, the paper didn't actually print the cartoons. They merely printed a picture of a man reading a different paper that printed the cartoons :

A Malaysian reads a copy of Guang Ming Daily in front of a newsstand in downtown Penang island, Malaysia, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2006. Malaysia has ordered the Chinese-language daily to halt publication of its evening edition for two weeks as punishment for printing a photograph showing Danish cartoons of Prophet Muhamad. The headline reads "Guang Ming evening edition suspended for two weeks."

KUALA LUMPUR: The afternoon edition of Guangming Daily has been suspended for two weeks from Feb 16 to March 1, the Internal Security Ministry said in a statement.

The order was issued to Guang-Ming Ribao Sdn Bhd under the powers provided for under subsection 6 (2) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act, 1984.

The statement said the Penang-based newspaper had contravened permit conditions by publishing a photograph that featured the caricatures of Prophet Muhammad.

“The decision was made after the newspaper published an article on Feb 3 titled European media inflame controversy by reprinting caricatures and Denmark newspapers insult Islam, tender apologies which also carried the caricature,” it said yesterday.

“The publication of the said article was an offence and contravened the permit conditions provided for in the Act.”

The statement also announced that the ministry had also issued an order under subsection 7 (1) of the Act, prohibiting the printing, importing, producing, reproducing, distributing, disseminating and possession of such articles in the country, which might jeopardise public order, harmony and security and might jolt the mind of the people.

The order under the Printing Presses and Publications Rules (Control of Undesirable Publications) 2006 would come into effect today.

On Tuesday, two Guangming Daily senior editors gave Internal Security Ministry officials a letter explaining the paper’s use of the photograph.

Guang-Ming Ribao Sdn Bhd later sent a letter to Bursa Malaysia, explaining that it had unintentionally published a photograph from the AFP news agency in its Penang evening edition, which showed a person reading a newspaper carrying one of the Danish caricatures.
Link...


and who said Islam and democracy aren't compatible?

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