The Pofma Office is investigating a well-known anti-death penalty activist for reportedly disobeying a correction order. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on October 31 that Ms. Kokila Annamalai had chosen not to comply with the correction directive issued on October 5, despite receiving multiple reminders. This outcome is a result of the activist’s decision not to follow the government’s directive under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma).
The act of defiance by the activist against the correction order has led the Pofma Office to start an investigation, indicating possible legal repercussions for the person in question. The anti-death penalty advocate, famous for their outspoken opposition to capital punishment, has been involved in a heated dispute with the authorities over the spread of potentially inaccurate information related to the death penalty on the internet.
The incident started back on 24 October 2019, when Mohammad Azwan Bohari, 48, was executed on October 4 after being convicted in the year he was arrested for possessing over 26.5 grams of diamorphine for trafficking purposes. His appeal against the conviction was dismissed, and clemency requests were denied in 2020 and 2022.
The precise information regarding the correction request, as well as the material that prompted the directive, has not been clearly described. Nevertheless, the activist’s refusal to obey the order has caused the situation to worsen, resulting in the Pofma Office’s intervention and the beginning of a formal inquiry.
According to news sources, the MHA has stated that the Pofma order does not prevent Ms. Kokila from expressing her views, nor does it require her to remove the text of her original post. Instead, she is required to provide links to an article that presents the Government’s position for readers to make their own decisions based on the incident.
Due to the current investigation, the activist could be subjected to legal consequences for not following the government’s correction order. The consequences for failing to comply with Pofma directives can vary from fines to possible legal consequences.
