George Town, Malaysia – The arrest of graphic artist and social activist Fahmi Reza over a satirical song list poking fun at a comment made by Malaysia’s queen has rekindled debate over freedom of expression in the Southeast Asian nation.
Police arrested Fahmi, who came to prominence in 2015 with a now iconic clown caricature that lampooned then-Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, on April 23, accusing him of insulting the queen with the playlist, which he titled Dengki Ke (Malay for “Are you jealous?”) and illustrated with a cover image of the royal.
He was also accused of sharing “offensive and menacing content” for the list, which he uploaded to Spotify and Apple Music, featuring songs including Jealousy by Queen and God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols.