KHALID ISMATH THE STUDENT ACTIVIST Khalid Ismath is a 25-year-old student activist who created the first speakers’ corner at Mara University of Technology (UiTM) and was involved in the Occupy Dataran movement calling for free education and the abolition of the National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN). On 13 October 2015, Khalid Ismath had 14 charges laid against him for posting comments on Facebook that were allegedly offensive to the royalty of the State of Johor and the Malaysian Police. The posts alleged the police abuse their power and were published on a solidarity page for Kamal Hisham Jaafar, a former legal advisor to the Johor Royal Family, who is currently in detention on charges of corruption. © Khalid Ismath He was rearrested the same day under the Sedition Act for another Facebook comment made on the same solidarity page for Kamal Hisham Jaafar. He was initially denied bail, but was finally released on 29 October following 23 days in detention. Khalid Ismath was charged with 11 counts under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and three counts under Section 4 (1) of the Sedition Act at the Johor Bahru Sessions Court, in Johor state. Khalid Ismath was denied bail as the prosecution argued that he may abscond during trial. A member of the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM), Khalid Ismath had first been detained on 7 October at the Johor Bahru Selatan police station under the 1998 Communications and Multimedia Act for posts on Kamal Hisham Jaafar’s Facebook solidarity page. Following three days in police detention, during which time his phone and personal computer had been confiscated, Khalid Ismath was released on 9 October. CHARGES AGAINST HIM FOR POSTING COMMENTS ON FACEBOOK [The Sedition Act is] “inhuman, oppressive and must be opposed.” 6 Critical Crackdown: Freedom of Expression Under Attack in Malaysia During his detention Amnesty International considered him a prisoner of conscience. The charges against Khalid Ismath came one week after the Malaysian Federal Court’s ruling that the Sedition Act was constitutional following Azmi Sharom’s challenge. ALLEGEDLY OFFENSIVE TO THE ROYALTY OF THE STATE OF JOHOR AND THE MALAYSIAN POLICE