KUALA LUMPUR, Jul 4 – Controversial blogger Vivian Lee’s appeal against her jail sentence for insulting Muslims with an offensive post during Ramadan on their Facebook account, has been fixed for mention on Sept 4. Vivian Lee May Ling, 27, is appealing against five months and 22 days jail sentence ordered by a Sessions Court. When the case commenced, Lee’s lawyer Chong Joo Tian asked for a new date, pending the outcome of a Federal Court case.
“There is a constitutional issue. That is why we want to know (the outcome),” said Chong. Lee and her former boyfriend Alvin Tan were jointly charged with posting a picture with a caption “Selamat Berbuka Puasa…(with Bak Kut Teh…fragrant, delicious, and appetising), which had insulted the Muslims during Ramadan at about 9am on July 13, 2013.
The offence was under section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948. They were charged jointly on July 18, 2013, but Tan had jumped bail. On May 27, 2016, the Sessions court had ordered Lee to serve six months jail but allowed an application by the defence to take into consideration the eight days that she had spent in remand.
