Sedition Act 1948

SEDITION ACT 1948

AKTA HASUTAN 1948

Act 15 · consolidated to 1 Jan 2006 · 13 pp

Artistic freedom

This copy of the Act is 20 years old. Any amendment made since 1 January 2006 is not in this text. Check the AGC record for later amendments.

Why it matters

What this does to artists

Criminalises words with a seditious tendency, including bringing hatred or contempt against a ruler or government, and questioning the entrenched matters. Intent is expressly irrelevant. Performance, lyrics, stand-up, visual satire and social posts have all been charged under it.

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Repeal has been announced more than once and has not happened. Section 3(3) removes intention as a defence, which is what makes it so dangerous to satire.

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What to read first

Section numbers read out of the AGC text itself

s.3Seditious tendency

s.4Offences

s.5Legal proceedings

In practice

Where this one bites

Scenario

Publish a book or zine

Printing needs a licence, publishing needs a permit, and the Minister can prohibit the result outright.…

Scenario

Stopped, raided, shut down or arrested

This is a frightening place to be, and it usually has more give in it than it feels like. Most of these turn o…

Full arrangement of sections 11 sections · show / hide

Extracted from the AGC PDF on this page.

s.1Short title

s.2Interpretation

s.3Seditious tendency

s.4Offences

s.5Legal proceedings

s.6Evidence

s.7Innocent receiver of seditious publication

s.8Issue of search warrant

s.9Suspension of newspaper containing seditious matter

s.10Power of court to prohibit circulation of seditious publications

s.11Arrest without warrant 015e.fm Page 3 Monday, March 27, 2006 11:41 AM 015e.fm Page 4 Monday, March 27, 2006 11:41 AM

Full text

Read the law

PDF · 0.4 MB · hosted by ALIM

English text

Open the full text →

Source of record · lom.agc.gov.my/act-detail.php?act=15&lang=BI

Who this reaches

Visual artsMusicFilm & TVPerforming artsLiterature, writing & publishingFashion & craftDigital & mediaMuseum & archivingContent creationEverything else

Important notice

This page is published by ALIM (Art × Law Initiative Malaysia) as general legal information for Malaysia’s creative communities. It is not legal advice. It does not take your circumstances into account, and reading it does not create a solicitor-client relationship with ALIM or with anyone associated with it.

The law changes. Each Act reproduced here is the Attorney General’s Chambers’ consolidated reprint and carries the date it was consolidated to; amendments made after that date do not appear in the text, and the authoritative version of any Malaysian law is the one published in the Federal Gazette. Subsidiary legislation, state enactments and local authority by-laws may also apply to your situation and are largely outside this library.

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