Kuala Lumpur:The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal by Wong Yan Ke, former president of the Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth (UMANY), against his conviction and RM10,000 fine for insulting the university's former vice-chancellor.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Noorin Badaruddin, leading a three-member panel, emphasized that while freedom of speech is a vital right, it must be exercised responsibly and in accordance with the law. She clarified that Wong's punishment was based on his conduct exceeding legal limits, not for holding a different opinion.

The panel, which included Justices Datuk Hayatul Akmal Abdul Aziz and Datuk Meor Hashimi Abdul Hamid, unanimously upheld Wong's conviction and sentence, rejecting his appeal to overturn the decision made by the Kuala Lumpur High Court. The court found the charge against Wong valid, with no miscarriage of justice or legal misdirection.

Justice Noorin stated that the elements of the offence under Section 504 of the Penal Code were proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The court upheld Wong's RM10,000 fine for his actions during the university's 59th convocation ceremony, which he has already paid.

On October 9, 2023, the Magistrates' Court had initially fined Wong RM5,000 for his conduct during the ceremony on October 14, 2019, which involved insulting and provoking the former vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Abdul Rahim Hashim and guests. The High Court later increased this fine to RM10,000 on April 15, 2025.

Wong was represented by lawyer Haijan Omar, while Deputy Public Prosecutors Jasmee Hameeza Jaafar and Mohd Zain Ibrahim represented the prosecution.