“In fact, the government should abolish the Sedition Act,” he told reporters soon after the unanimous Court of Appeal verdict.

He said the ruling had inspired him to continue with the campaign to remove the law from the statute books, similar to what was done to abolish the Internal Security Act .

“The people will rise (to abolish the Sedition Act) and we will continue with the campaign,” he said.

Meanwhile, his lawyer, Ariff Azami Hussein said it was clear from the judgment that Safwan’s speech was not seditious and the prosecution had no case against him.

“In fact, the trial judge (at the Sessions Court) should have acquitted my client even without calling for his defence,” he added.

Ariff said Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali should review all pending cases and those before the court.

Lawyers for Liberty executive director Eric Paulsen said it was a good decision as the court had upheld that citizens had the right to free speech.

He said the ruling had also sent a clear message that a trial judge should not be quick to find “any controversial speech as sedition”.

“The authorities must prove the words or statement to have seditious tendency,” said Paulsen who was in court to follow today’s proceeding.

He said the speech by Safwan must be seen as a political comment made soon after the 13th general election.

Safwan, Batu MP Tian Chua, former Batu Berendam MP Tamrin Ghafar, activists Haris Ibrahim, Adam Adli and Hishmuddin Rais had spoken at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall on May 13, 2013, amid protests that the Barisan Nasional had won the polls through unfair means.

The Court of Appeal fined Hishamuddin RM5,000 while the Sessions Court sentenced Haris to eight months jail and Tian Chua was fined RM1,800.

Adam’s appeal will be heard in the Court of Appeal next year while Tamrin’s trial has yet to begin.