SEVEN ARRESTED FOR PUBLISHING DEFAMATIVE, SEDITIOUS AND SLANDEROUS POSTS AGAINST COUNTRY'S LEADERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 (Bernama) -- The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) arrested seven individuals suspected of being involved in publishing posts containing elements of sedition, threats, insult, and defamation against the country's leaders on social media.

Bukit Aman's Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Datuk M. Kumar, said they were detained by the Classified Criminal Investigation Unit (USJT) between September 17 and October 5, following seven cases of video dissemination on the TikTok and Facebook applications.

He stated that investigations into five cases found that TikTok account users @saya_alif5, @k_a_m_i_l_2905, @HonaKia53, @japajafaruddinshop, and @zollpatv were believed to have uploaded posts containing elements of insult against the country's leaders and statements that were offensive (or humiliating).

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"The sixth case involved the TikTok account @tokgompo, which is believed to have uploaded posts containing elements of threat against the country's leaders, while the seventh case involved a Facebook account user named Vincent Naidu who is suspected of uploading posts containing elements of sedition and offensive statements against certain parties," he said in a statement here today.

Kumar said the cases are being investigated under Sections 505(b), 504, and 506 of the Penal Code, in addition to Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

He said all suspects were remanded for between one and three days to assist in the investigation.

He added that investigations also found that one of the suspects, who is in his 40s, has 19 prior records related to drug offences, while another suspect, in his 60s, was previously investigated under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.

"PDRM will not compromise on any form of social media misuse that could incite sedition, threats, insult, or public fear," he said.

He also advised the public to always be prudent, disciplined, and responsible when issuing any statement or sharing on social media platforms to avoid legal action and ensure that community harmony remains protected.

-- BERNAMA