KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 ― Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) president Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman was today acquitted of one sedition charge but will still have to defend himself over another charge under the same Act, his lawyer said.

Lawyer Azad Bashir Abdul Kariem Bashir said the Kajang Sessions Court found that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case on the main sedition charge against his client under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act.

“Basically for Section 4(1)(b), he is acquitted without defence needed to be entered,” the lawyer told Malay Mail Online when contacted.

As for the alternative charge under Section 4(1)(c) over the publication of the alleged seditious statement, the court ordered Abdullah Zaik to enter his defence after finding that the prosecution had established a prima facie case, the lawyer said.

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He said July 21 has been fixed by Kajang Sessions Court judge Noridah Adam for Abdullah Zaik to defend himself.

“For the time being, we informed the court he may be the only witness, but we reserve our right to call additional witnesses,” he said.

Today was fixed for the Kajang Sessions Court to decide whether there was a need for Abdullah Zaik to enter his defence after the end of the trial's prosecution stage.

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On June 19, 2014, Abdullah Zaik pleaded not guilty to the two sedition charges over his May 6 remarks labelling the country's ethnic Chinese community as “intruders” who had allegedly been brought by British colonialists to oppress the Malays.

Under the Section 4(1)(b) charge, he was said to have uttered the allegedly seditious remarks at Isma's Bandar Baru Bangi headquarters at 10am on May 6.

Under the alternative charge of Section 4(1)(c), Abdullah Zaik was accused of publishing the article titled “The coming of the Chinese with the British colonialists a form of intrusion” on Isma's website between 3pm and 3.30pm on the same day at the same place.

If convicted under either charge, Abdullah Zaik would face a maximum fine of RM5,000 or a maximum jail term of three years or both.