Iswardy, 44, was charged at the Bukit Aman commercial crime investigation department on May 29 after he made comments during a Facebook live stream on the page “Iswardy Morni Official” that were deemed to be seditious towards the King.

According to Bernama, the charge was framed under Section 4 (1)(a) of the Sedition Act 1948 and is punishable under Section 4 (1) of the same Act, which carries a fine of up to RM5,000 or imprisonment for up to three years, or both, upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Yusaini Amer Abdul Karim offered a bail of RM20,000 with one surety, but Iswardy’s lawyer Nik Mohamed Ikhwan Nik Mahamud, applied for a lower bail on the grounds that his client was the main breadwinner for his family and cooperated with the police throughout the investigation.

Judge Mahyon Talib then allowed Iswardy a bail of RM5,000 with one surety, with the additional condition that the accused be prohibited from making any comments regarding the case on social media, in print or through other electronic mediums.

The court has set Aug 2 for re-mention of the case.

Earlier, Iswardy, who is chairman of the NGO Pro-Keadilan Sarawak, had been remanded for two days to assist in the investigation into the allegedly insulting comments.