Within four hours of the verdict, donors to a defense fund had contributed more than enough to cover the entire fine, according to Malaysiakini.
The site’s defenders had argued that a guilty verdict would have the effect of inhibiting freedom of speech in the country of 33 million, which in recent years has been racked by charges of high-level government corruption.
Amnesty International Malaysia said it was deeply alarmed by the verdict, calling it “a travesty of justice” and “a grave setback for freedom of expression in the country.”
“The use of contempt of court laws to censor online debate and silence independent media is yet another example of the shrinking space for people to express themselves freely in the country,” said the group’s executive director, Katrina Jorene Maliamauv.
The United States Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, the capital, also expressed concern about the ruling. “Freedom of expression, including for members of the press and the general public, is fundamental for public discourse and the democratic principles that support accountability and good government,” it said in a statement.
The case was brought in June by Malaysia’s attorney general, Idrus Harun. He was named to the post by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who took power less than a year ago at the head of an unelected government.
Mr. Muhyiddin’s governing coalition includes the former prime minister Najib Razak, who is accused of siphoning billions of dollars from a government investment fund that he once controlled.
Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/19/world/asia/malaysia-press-freedom-guilty.html
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