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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Malaysia blogger to be released | Malaysia blogger to be released |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A Malaysian judge has ordered the release of a prominent critic of the government, Raja Petra Kamaruddin. | A Malaysian judge has ordered the release of a prominent critic of the government, Raja Petra Kamaruddin. |
| Raja Petra, 58, editor of the website Malaysia Today, was being held under the Internal Security Act (ISA). | |
| But the judge said the government had acted outside its jurisdiction when it issued a two-year detention order. | But the judge said the government had acted outside its jurisdiction when it issued a two-year detention order. |
| The government alleged that Raja Petra was a threat to national security having published articles that it said created racial tension. | The government alleged that Raja Petra was a threat to national security having published articles that it said created racial tension. |
| He is due in court later in the day, and will then be freed, the state news agency Bernama reported. | He is due in court later in the day, and will then be freed, the state news agency Bernama reported. |
| His lawyer, Malik Imtiaz, described Friday's ruling as "historic" and said it was "definitely a wonderful step in terms of civil liberties in Malaysia". | |
| Raja Petra has increasingly angered the Malaysian authorities with his Malaysia Today website, the country's best-known political blog. | |
| He still faces charges of sedition for an article he published which linked Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak to the 2006 murder of a Mongolian woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu. | |
| Mr Najib, who has consistently denied any involvement, is widely expected to take over as prime minister when incumbent Abdullah Badawi agrees on a transition date. | |
| Raja Petra was arrested on 12 September under the ISA as part of a government clampdown on opposition voices. |