Update April 27, 2022
Fahmi Reza banned from leaving the country. He sells a work in NFT in support of freedom of expression.
Like his colleague Zunar in 2016, Malaysian artist Fahmi Reza is now subject to a travel ban. He learned that he had been blacklisted by the immigration authorities and barred from renewing his passport during a visit to the police station.
Earlier in the month, he was arrested and questioned about the satirical cartoon depicting a monkey dressed in royal attire, Monyet Istana (Palace Monkey). For that cartoon, he is being investigated under the Sedition Act, and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA). If convicted, he faces a fine of up to RM 100,000 and a two-year prison sentence.
As a symbolic act of protest against his arrest and detention for the above-mentioned artwork, and as a symbolic act to defend the right to freedom of expression, he released another version of the work as an NFT.
According to the artist, all the proceeds from this NFT sale will be donated to a Legal Defense Fund aimed at supporting fellow Malaysians who are being investigated and prosecuted for exercising their right to free speech.
The NFT sale was launched at 9pm (Malaysia time) last night and will lasts for 48 hours.
Official NFT site: https://monyetistana.com
To purchase: https://monyetistana.com/buy
The press release is copied below.
Cartooning for Peace supports the artist and is concerned about this new level of action by the country’s authorities. We call for the fundamental freedoms of Fahmi Reza to be respected.
