Independent portal Malaysiakini
has over the past decade become a leading source of information in the
Southeast Asian nation, where major newspapers and broadcasters are largely
government-linked.
Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled
the government had not acted within its power and its refusal to grant
Malaysiakini a printing permit was "unreasonable", said Edmund Bon,
who represented the online portal.
"It's a landmark case;
it's historic," Bon told AFP. "It will open the floodgates because
the court has recognised that the granting of a permit is a right, not a
privilege as the government has said."
Government lawyers could not
immediately be reached for comment. They can appeal Monday's ruling.
All newspapers in Malaysia need
a permit to print, allowing the government to control them and putting
publishers under pressure to toe the line.
Malaysiakini and other online
media have remained relatively free -- despite occasional raids, bans and
government criticism -- due to an official pledge not to censor the Internet,
made in the mid-90s to attract foreign investment.
Premesh Chandran, co-founder
and chief executive officer of Malaysiakini, said he was "happy" with
the court's ruling. Malaysiakini launched the legal challenge two years ago
after authorities rejected its application.
"The court recognised
publishing a paper is part of freedom of expression, which is a right under the
constitution. This is a fundamental shift of the interpretation of freedom of
speech in the country," he told AFP.
He said Malaysiakini, which has
about 2.5 million readers a month, wanted a newspaper to complement its online
content and reach a wider audience.
Prime Minister Najib Razak,
touting a reform agenda, recently relaxed the printing permit rules, saying
papers no longer had to renew their licenses annually. But the government still
has the power to revoke permits.
Elections are due by middle of
next year and will be Najib's first test as prime minister at the ballot box.
Critics have slammed his
reforms as window-dressing to attract voters after the long-ruling Barisan
Nasional coalition suffered its worst results ever in the last polls in 2008.
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