Anwar ATTACKED with pepper spray while police busy nabbing cartoonists

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and his supporters suffered a rude shock when they were pepper sprayed by an unknown perpetrator.

The incident occurred as Anwar left the Palace of Justice after the hearing of his sodomy appeal concluded this evening and headed towards the canopy-covered area to perform Maghrib prayers with his supporters.

Supporters and media practitioners who were near Anwar at that time had coughing fits.

However, no one could identify the person who had pepper sprayed them.

Cops too busy arresting cartoonists?

Minutes earlier, police arrested three booksellers for selling Zulkiflee Anwar Haque’s cartoon books on Anwar.

They were operating at the vicinity of the Palace of Justice and were arrested at around 7pm, related Zulkiflee, who is better known as Zunar.

He told Malaysiakini that he received a call from one of the booksellers that they were arrested and was now at the Putrajaya police station.

Copies of the cartoon book, titled "Komplot Penjarakan Anwar" ('Conspiracy to imprison Anwar'), were also confiscated by the police.

"They told me that they were arrested under the Printing Presses and Publications Act," said Zunar, who was on his way to the police station.

Those arrested were identified as Norliza Mohd Kasim, Ridzaldy Rafie and Raja Norita.

Zunar said arresting the booksellers and confiscating the books went against a recent court judgment.

The Court of Appeal early this month had unanimously lifted the ban on Zunar’s two books "1 Funny Malaysia" and "Perak Darul Kartun".

Zunar said although the judgement was for the two books, the government should take the judgment in principle.

"This shows that they do not respect the court. If you are dissatisfied with the contents of the book, you can sue me. But don't ban the whole book," he asserted. - Mkini