THE travel ban on political cartoonist Zunar has been lifted.

Zunar, whose real name is  Zulkiflee SM Anwar Ulhaque, told Malaysia Decides that checks on the immigration website shows that his no-fly ban has been lifted.

“I still haven’t received any information from the authorities but by name is no longer on the list.”

He also hoped that the new Pakatan Harapan government would no longer prevent individuals from leaving the country using “special provisions”, without explaining Section 59 of the Immigration Act.

“This is not only for me but to the new government, (I hope) there will be no more (travel) bans on grounds of special provisions.”

Zunar was first barred from flying out of the country in October 2016 and faces nine charges, including sedition, over a cartoon about PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim’s court case and the former prime minister Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor.

In December, he challenged the decision in high court only to find it being rejected on grounds that it was bound to the Court of Appeal’s previous judgment, which had overturned his appeal.

Judge Azizah Nawawi said he was bound to Tony Pua’s travel ban, which also failed to challenge the decision of the director-general of the Immigration Department.

On July 7, Court of Appeal judge Idrus Harun said while the right to life and personal freedom is guaranteed by the constitution, any disqualification is allowed if it is made lawful. – May 14, 2018.