A 24-year old Malaysian has been sentenced to a year in prison for owning publications about the Middle Eastern extremist movement Islamic State (ISIS), in the first such conviction under a new anit-terrorism legal provision.
Nazirul Abidin Thalha pleaded guilty to the offence under Section 130JB (1)(a) of the Penal Code, for downloading and possessing 15 publications about ISIS.
The new ant-terrorism provision, gazetted in June, proscribes a maximum prison term of seven years, or a fine and confiscation, for possession of any items associated with any terrorist group or the commission of a terrorist act.
Nazirul had been under detention since his arrest on July 2, under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012.
Deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin urged the judge to impose a prison sentence on the accused in the interest of public safety and as a deterrence to others, as it would send a message to the public that ownership of such materials was illegal.
“Most cases in court where they were found to help IS or supporting IS all started with the reading of such written materials.
“This section is to curb our youths or general public to be self-radicalised to carry out jihad (holy war), furthermore those that do not have knowledge at all of the actual meaning of jihad,” he said, as quoted by The Malay Mail Online‘s Ida Lim.
On July 2, Nazirul’s smartphone was confiscated during a police raid on his home. He was charged for possession of the 15 ISIS documents on July 29, which were found on his smartphone’s memory card.
The publications said to be downloaded on June 20 and June 24 include The Islamic State (2015), Hijrah to the Islamic State (2015), Miracles in Syria (2012-2013), Martyrs of Syria (2014), Black Flags from Persia and Black Flags from The East.
