GRAPHIC designer Fahmi Reza has been charged over another of his satirical artworks, this time a piece showing a green-coloured beer can together with the green and white logo of Islamist party PAS.

He claimed trial in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court today for uploading the graphic to his Facebook account on June 1, 2021, which has been deemed an offence under Section 233(3) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for improper use of network facilities with the intent to annoy another person.

If convicted, Fahmi can be fined not more than RM50,00, or jailed up to a year, or both.

Malaysiakini reports that he was granted RM3,000 bail today with one surety by judge M Edwin Paramjothy, who also fixed March 30 for case mention.

The allegedly offensive artwork was Fahmi’s response to PAS lawmakers for restrictions on the sale of alcohol. In Kuala Lumpur, the sale of liquor is restricted and subject to conditions at Chinese medicine shops, convenience stores and coffeeshops.

Fahmi is no stranger to run-ins with the law over his artworks which he uses to protest bad government policies and corruption.

Since the beginning of this year, he has been questioned by police over his ‘House of Balak’ artwork, aimed at Pahang royalty and their alleged links to the timber industry which has been blamed for massive flooding in the state last December.

On February 10, he was charged for another artwork under the same section of the Communications and Multimedia Act that allegedly insulted the previous health minister. – Bernama, February 17, 2022.