Dane first to be convicted under Malaysian fake news law

Bogus YouTube video leads to an ‘extended stay’ in Kuala Lumpur

A Malaysian court has convicted Salah Salem Saleh Sulaiman, a Danish citizen, of inaccurate criticism of the police on social media. He is the first person to be prosecuted under the country’s new law against ‘fake news’.

Sulaiman was charged with spreading fake news after posting a video on YouTube accusing police of taking 50 minutes to respond to distress calls following the shooting of a Palestinian lecturer on April 21.

Police countered that it took them only eight minutes to respond to the shooting in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur in which Fadi al-Batsh was shot dead by two assailants on a motorbike on April 21. Batsh was a member of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Time after time
Malaysia’s national police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said their records showed a distress call was received at 06:41 and that police were on the scene eight minutes later.

Sulaiman, a Danish citizen of Yemeni descent, was accused of “publishing fake news with ill intent”. He pleaded guilty, but said the video was posted in a “moment of anger” and he did not mean any harm.

“I agreed I made a mistake,” he told the court. “I apologise to everybody in Malaysia – not just to the Malaysian police.”

No get out of jail cash
Malaysia is among the first countries to legislate against the spreading of fake news. Offenders face fines and jail time.

READ MORE: Another Dane arrested in Turkey on suspicion of terrorism offences

Sulaiman was ordered to pay a fine of nearly 16,000 kroner, but did not have the funds to cover it. He will now spend a month in jail. He was on a 10-day visit to Malaysia when he released the video, and said he was not aware that Malaysia had such a law.

Law trumps speech
Malaysia’s law defines fake news as “news, information, data and reports that is or are wholly or partly false”. It also covers digital publications and social media. As Sulaiman has learned, it also applies to foreigners.

Free speech advocates have challenged the law, saying that it violates constitutional guarantees to freedom of speech.

TOP STORIES

  • Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    After more than a decade living in Denmark, Russell shares why she made the move, how she’s coping, what she already misses, and the exciting new projects she’s working on. “It’s been a very tough decision. I love Denmark, and it will always hold a special place in my heart,” she says.

  • Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    The new Gefion AI supercomputer is one of the world’s fastest and will accelerate research and provide new opportunities in Danish academia and industry.

  • Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Experts believe it takes seven years to move into a new culture, according to leading Danish psychologist Jette Simon and therapist Vibeke Hartkorn. For expat couples, the challenges of starting a new life together in Denmark can put pressure on relationships, but emotions-focused therapy can help.

  • More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    Politicians debate a lot these days about when you can retire. The reality shows that an increasing number of Danes like to work, even if they can withdraw from the labor market. Financial incentives help.

  • Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Canadian-born environmental activist Paul Watson has been in prison in Greenland for almost 100 days awaiting an extradition decision for a 14-year-old offence against a Japanese whaling vessel that he calls a “minor misdemeanor”. The 73-year-old had previously passed through Ireland, Switzerland, Monaco, France and the USA without trouble, before Greenlandic police arrested him in July.

  • Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    When the Danish government in January presented the first of its schemes to make it easier to recruit foreign labour from outside the EU, it was hailed by the healthcare and service sectors as a timely and important policy shift. But while healthcare changes have been forthcoming, the service sector is still struggling, say the directors of the industry association Dansk Industri and one of the country’s largest private employers ISS.

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

  • Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    On Friday 27 and Saturday 28 of September, The Copenhagen Post will be at International Citizen Days in Øksnehallen on Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Admission is free and thousands of internationals are expected to attend

  • Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Chisom Udeze, the founder of Diversify – a global organization that works at the intersection of inclusion, democracy, freedom, climate sustainability, justice, and belonging – shares how struggling to find a community in Norway motivated her to build a Nordic-wide professional network. We also hear from Dr. Poornima Luthra, Associate Professor at CBS, about how to address bias in the workplace.

  • Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality, home to Denmark’s largest infrastructure project – the Fehmarnbelt tunnel connection to Germany – has launched a new jobseeker support package for the accompanying partners of international employees in the area. The job-to-partner package offers free tailored sessions on finding a job and starting a personal business.

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs