Rewcastle Brown mulls attending court for defamation appeal

Sarawak Report founder Clare Rewcastle Brown said she is contemplating attending the court management of her appeal against a two-year prison sentence for defaming the sultanah of Terengganu. (AFP pic)

PETALING JAYA: Clare Rewcastle Brown, the founder and editor of Sarawak Report, is considering attending the management of her appeal against her conviction and two-year prison sentence for defaming the sultanah of Terengganu, Sultanah Nur Zahirah.

Rewcastle Brown expressed mixed feelings about appearing in court, saying that her presence could escalate the spectacle.

“There’s a part of me that would want to turn up, although I’m getting a lot of advice that it would not be helpful and might be an unnecessary distraction,” she said.

“It’s quite an embarrassing situation, and it would be even more embarrassing, I think, for everyone concerned, if I turned up and was dragged off in chains into a ‘temporary’ jail for two years.”

Rewcastle Brown made these remarks in a video call at a fundraising event organised by Engage, an NGO, aimed at raising RM292,000 to support her appeal.

On Tuesday, the Kuala Terengganu High Court ordered Rewcastle Brown to appear for her appeal management against a two-year prison sentence for defamation.

The British national was found guilty of defamation under Section 500 of the Penal Code by the magistrates’ court here on Feb 7.

Rewcastle Brown, based in London, was convicted of defaming Sultanah Nur Zahirah in her book, The Sarawak Report: The Inside Story of 1MDB Expose.