Police held 76-year-old Malaysian for 3 days for insulting prime minister over WhatsApp

Malaysian police have released a 76-year-old man, who was arrested on Saturday for allegedly insulting the prime minister on WhatsApp.

Local reports say the man was held for three days in custody, after he was arrested for sharing a crude photo insulting prime minister Najib Razak in a WhatsApp group chat.

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A police report was made against him over the weekend, and police arrested him and seized his mobile phone at his house in Petaling Jaya, Selangor the day after.

The group's title "Bicara Politik Melayu" translates to "Malay political commentary," and the man had been posting under the WhatsApp identity Pa Ya, police said.

Johor police chief commissioner Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd said in a statement: "The photo has insulted and hurt the feelings of Malaysians."

"The photo has insulted and hurt the feelings of Malaysians."

Authorities are investigating him under section 233 of Malaysia's multimedia laws from 1998, which allow the state to prosecute anyone who sends content that is "obscene, indecent, false, menacing or offensive in character with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another person."

The charge carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and RM50,000 ($12,422).

Several other Malaysians have recently run afoul of this section of the law as well. Last month, a 19-year-old man was sentenced to a year in prison for insulting the Johor royal family on Facebook.

Also last month, Malaysian street artist Fahmi Reza was charged in court for producing a clown caricature of the prime minister that went viral earlier this year.

Reza, who has become known as the country's Banksy, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

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