KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has set four days from Nov 28 to hear a defamation suit by Group of 25 Eminent Malays (G25) spokesman Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin over an online article that alleged she had insulted Islam.
Lawyer Azad Bashir confirmed that judge Datuk Yeoh Wee Siam fixed the hearing dates - Nov 28 to 30 and Dec 1 - while in her chambers this morning.
Azad is acting for businessman Azmi Arshad, the defendant who authored an allegedly defamatory article, titled "Low Yat is Only a Gentle Reminder", which was uploaded to the website "Portal Islam & Melayu" on July 13 last year.
Azad added that the matter would come up for further case management on Sept 30. Counsel Yap Boon Hau acted for plaintiff Noor Farida.
Noor Farida, 69, who was Malaysia's ambassador to the Netherlands, claimed that Azmi posted the article's link on his Facebook page and two other defamatory postings there on the same day.
She claimed that the article implied she was prejudiced against Islam, not a good Muslim, and of low morality, among others.
She claimed that the article had gravely damaged her personal and business reputation, and she had suffered considerable distress, hurt and embarrassment.
She alleged that the article had been reproduced in several online articles such as "Low Yat Riot Exposes Precarious Racial Situation", published by Malay Mail Online on July 14 last year.
She claimed that even though Azmi had received her letter of demand, dated Aug 20 last year, he refused to remove the article and FB postings and did not, among other things, issue a written apology.
Azmi though is relying on the defence of fair comment, qualified privilege and justification for the alleged defamatory words.