Malaysian Blogger Released, But Appeal Being Considered

In September, Malaysian blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin was arrested by Malaysian authorities under the Internal Security Act on charges that articles he posted threatened public order and security. He was charged with "causing tension among the country's multi-racial and multi-religious society" through postings on the news blog Malaysia Today of articles insulting to Muslims and the Prophet Muhammad and defamatory of Malaysia's leaders Amnesty International reported last Friday that the high court in the state of Selangor said that the arrest was unconstitutional and ordered Kamarudin released, ruling that the country's Home Minister Syed acted beyond his powers in having him arrested. However, the Daily Express reports that the Federal Attorney General's Office has been asked to look into a possible appeal of Kamarudin's release.