NGOs in Malaysia screen controversial Sri Lankan civil war documentary

Several NGOs co-organised a screening of a controversial documentary on the Sri Lankan civil war last night, ahead of the sentencing of Lena Hendry who was found guilty of screening the same four years ago.

However, the difference was that last night’s screening was done via online streaming, and not with any other form of media, such as film reel, videotape or DVD.

A spokesman for one of the NGOs said the screening last night did not break any censorship laws in the country because it was streamed online.

The Film Censorship Act 2002 states that all films are illegal for distribution and possession unless approved by the Censorship Board.
But the law does not cover any content streamed online as there is no distribution or possession involved on the part of the viewer(s).

The screening of the 90-minute documentary was co-organised by Suaram, Lawyers for Liberty, Amnesty International-Malaysia, Aliran, and the Joint Action Group for Gender (JAG) equality.

Last month, Hendry was found guilty by the magistrate’s court here for screening No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka, a documentary highlighting the massacre of mostly ethnic Tamils by the Sri Lankan army, on July 3, 2013.

-Free Malaysia Today