Caning Anwar’s effigy during Turun Anwar is an offence, says lawyer

The act of caning an effigy of a sitting Prime Minister during the Turun Anwar rally over the weekend is an offence under the law.

According to lawyer Manoharan Malayalam, it is an offence under Sections 504 and 506 of the Penal Code.

Section 504 criminalises the act of intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace.

“Whoever intentionally insults, and thereby gives provocation to any person, intending or knowing it to be likely that such provocation will cause him to break the public peace, or to commit any other offence, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both,” he wrote on LinkedIn.

Section 506 provides for punishment for criminal intimidation – a two year jail term, or fine, or both.

If the threat caused death, grievous hurt, destruction of property by fire, then one would be facing up to seven years in jail.

He also pointed out that protests against the then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak that saw participants using slippers against a poster of Najib was charged in court.

“Slippers against the poster of Najib was held to be an offence under section 504 and section 506 of the Penal Code.”