Rais: Be ethical when blogging on Anwar's trial

Bloggers should be responsible and ethical in reporting the sodomy trial of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to avoid sub judice, Information Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim said.

Bloggers had the responsibility to the society and should abide by the country's law, he said.


"I believe bloggers have their own sense of responsibility to the society and will not go around writing with wild abandon, because in the end the law will catch up with them; and like it or not, the law will come down hard on them.

"So before that happens, they should exercise caution,"

Rais said the Attorney-General's Chambers was constantly monitoring reports published in certain blogs to see if they were made in general or had the elements of contempt or against the rule of sub judice.

Howver, he s said the ministry would not stop Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) from reporting the case.

RTM would also be allowed to use certain terms which were mentioned in court, he added.

"We can report on the case based on what transpired in court and in the interest of public knowledge but we should not make comments which are sub judice," he said.


The PKR advisor and Permatang Pauh MP, is charged with sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan at Unit 11-5-1 Desa Damansara Condominium, Jalan Setiakasih, Bukit Damansara, between 3.01pm and 4.30pm on Jan 26, 2008.

Full report of today's trial - Sailful: Anwar was my idol