Malaysian 'False News' sentence to imprisonment up to 6 years

Malaysia has passed a new legislation to penalize those responsible for publishing false news and for the maximum sentence of six years imprisonment.

Prime Minister Najib Razak's government's 'Anti Fake News 018' bill passed in the Malaysian parliament on Monday, according to a majority vote, Reuters reported.

Critics complained that the act has been passed before the general election to curb dissenting and free speech.

The new Act enacted the definition of false news, audio recordings, and visual media to be considered 'news, information, statistics or reports', whose 'whole or partial lies'

As a punishment for the publication and publicity of such news, the law imposes a fine of up to five lakh rupees ($ 233,000) and a maximum penalty of six years imprisonment.

However, the initial draft of the bill was proposed to be punishable for ten years.

The new law will also apply to social media and digital publication, Reuters said. Foreigners associated with malicious fake news spread outside of Malaysia or abroad will also be charged.

Parliament has been told that the law will be considered in case of any false news that has been harmed by Malaysia or any of its citizens.

The law may be used to counter dissent, critics say that, but the government says that this law made for false news will not break freedom of speech.

False news related cases will be conducted through an independent trial process, they said.

"The law has been enacted to protect the public from the spread of false news, according to the constitution, people's right to freedom of speech is also in force," said the law minister of Malaysia Azlin Othman in parliament.

On Monday, the United Nations Special Representative for the Opinion and Expression, David Cain urged the Malaysian government not to hurry to such a law.

"I request the government to reconsider the bill. Before taking any new action, the bill should be opened for general and public opinion verification, "he said on Twitter.

A new law in the country was announced a few days before the date of the general election was announced within Malaysian media and social media.

Najib has denied the responsibility of involvement with all kinds of allegations of loss of state money from the beginning.

Last month, a state minister told the media that any news of the state money scam, without the verification of government authorities, would be considered as 'fake'.

Opposition MP Lim Kite Siang has said that the government has made new laws to stop the 'false news' to save the prime minister from the allegations.

According to Reuters, there were numerous laws, such as the laws of the colonial-era sedition regime to prevent social media postings and hostile news in Malaysia, among the first few countries in the world to act against counterfeit news. With this, 'Anti Foke News 2018' has been added.

Other Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore and the Philippines are thinking of various plans to handle false news.

Last year, after the government failed to remove the malicious posts, the German government adopted a plan to bring social networking to the fines.