A “HARMLESS” post on social media landed Mustaza Abdul Rahman in jail for 10 years.

The former police mechanic told The Malaysian Insight he was a member of a Telegram group known as “Gagak Hitam” which was later renamed “Amanah versus PAS”.

The group, he said, discussed various topics from religion and politics to the war in Syria.

“I commented on a topic in the Telegram group. It was about the bombing of a local pub in Petaling Jaya. I said in the group, ‘if I were the attacker, I would bomb the home of casino owners instead of pubs’.

“That was all I said. It was just a conversation in the Telegram group. The next thing I knew, I was apprehended by counter terrorism police and accused of supporting extremism and terrorism.

“I was also accused of pledging allegiance to the IS group which I never did in my entire life. Even forensic experts at my trial could not find any evidence on my mobile phone that I was part of IS,” Mustaza said.

The 36-year-old was initially detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma).

For the first 28 days after his arrest, Mustaza was held at an unknown location in police custody. He was later transferred to Tapah prison where he served his 10-year jail sentence.

Painful decision

As painful as the prison sentence and the torture he endured in jail were, they were nothing compared to the loss of his wife and his job.

His brother, Mahathir said Mustaza’s wife had found a job at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission but the anti-graft body decided not to hire her after finding out that she was married to a Sosma detainee.

“Left with no choice, he had to let her go while still in prison. Fearful of her safety, my ex-sister in law is now in Sarawak working as a teacher,” Mahathir said.

“We feel Mustaza was unfairly accused and mistreated,” said Mahathir.

A month after his release, Mustaza is now adapting to his new life.

Thanks to a close friend, Mustaza is now selling mangoes from Thailand and Perlis.

“I once owned a car, a small business with my wife and we were blessed with a child.

“The car had to be sold because I was in prison, my wife had to look for work to support herself and our child. When she got a stable job, we were tested with this (divorce).”

“I am slowly getting back on my feet. I am looking forward to a better future and I hope that I can reconcile with my wife.” – April 15, 2023.