KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian lawmakers voted to repeal a controversial law Wednesday that punished spreading "fake news" with up to six years behind bars and which critics said was aimed at stifling dissent.
As well as hefty jail terms, those who disseminated what authorities deemed false news, via any medium, from print to social networks, could be fined up to 500,000 ringgit ($120,000). It was the second attempt by the lower house to overturn the law after MPs voted to repeal it last year only for the opposition-controlled upper chamber to block it.
But the upper house is only able to block a bill once, meaning the legislation will now be scrapped. Malaysia is one of several countries in Asia that have turned to such legislation recently, emboldened by US President Donald Trump´s fulminations against "fake news", but activists warn authoritarian regimes will use the laws to target opponents.
Harvey Weinstein. — AFP FileNEW YORK: Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction for sexual assault and rape was...
Liberal Justice Elena Kagan on Sept. 13, 2016. — Slate website WASHINGTON: U.S. Supreme Court justices, wading back...
A representational image of inmates behind jail bars. — Unsplash/FileMOSCOW: A Russian court on Wednesday ordered...
Sudanese soldiers guard the surrounding area of the UNMIS compound in El-Fasher, the administrative capital of North...
US quietly shipped ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. — Report news agencyWASHINGTON: The United States in recent weeks...
US President Joe Biden during his address in California. — AFP FileWASHINGTON: President Joe Biden signed a...
