Malaysian information minister wins defamation suit against blogger

Blogger Amizudin Ahmat was ordered to pay 400,000 ringgit (132, 780 U.S. dollars) to Minister Rais Yatim in damages.

"From the facts, the intention is clear: to wreck the reputation of the plaintiff personally and politically," the judge ruled.

The 69-year-old minister filed a legal case against Amizudin in January for defamation after the latter posted in December last year an article accusing the minister of raping a maid who had worked for him for eight years.

The maid later denied the accusation in an Indonesian news report.

He also said it "rings a bell for those who constantly write about others in blogs or columns to respect the rights of others." Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.xinhuanet.com for full version