Three Malaysia men have fronted a court in Kota Baru after being charged with having pornographic content on their mobile devices.
The three men were arrested last month at an event that police described as a “gay party” but it has subsequently been revealed they were at a health outreach program organised by the Malaysian AIDS Council.
Muhammad Al Azamuddin Al Fadzil, 22, and Mohamad Syahmi Firas Mohd Jurij, 27, were each fined RM4,000 AUD$1445), while Mohd Hanafi Ibrahim, 47, was fined RM3,000 (AUD$1084) after pleading guilty to the charges read separately before Magistrate Wan Mohd Izzat Wan Abdullah.
All three were charged under section 292 of the country’s penal code that has strict laws about possession of pornographic content.
Prosecutors asked the court to deliver an appropriate sentence to deliver a message to society about immoral actions and defying societal norms, while the defence lawyer Chong Yin Xin requested the minimum punishment for her clients noting that they had all repented and promised to change.
Muhammad Al Azamuddin Al Fadzil and Mohamad Syahmi Firas Mohd Jurij are both university students. The older man’s sentence was less because his lawyers highlighted that he’d been in poor health having undergone brain surgery in 2016, and he is supported by his sister who has a disability.
