Latest news with #Fahri
The Star
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
'Art X Law' offers free legal support to help artists navigate legal jargon
For many arts practitioners, the law is often considered a confusing grey area – in cases where they're treated unfairly, most don't know what their rights are or what legal recourse they can take. This is where the "Art X Law" outreach hopes to step in. The pilot project – led by lawyers Fahri Azzat and Raul Lee Bhaskaran with support from artist/deejay Nicholas Choong – is an experimental initiative to provide legal advice (pro bono, of course) and redress the interests of vulnerable Malaysian artists. 'Our aim is to empower the Malaysian arts community, be it those in the fine arts, craftspeople, musicians, deejays, dancers ... anyone engaged with the arts for a living,' explains Fahri, 49, in a recent interview. Every Sunday in July from 4pm to 6pm, the trio welcomes artists and creatives to drop by the Estudio space in Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya for a chat about any legal questions or concerns—from claims and disputes to contracts and frameworks, they're here to help. Choong, 48, shares that since sharing posts about the project on social media last month, they've already received several enquiries – and not just from people in the arts industry. 'One such enquiry was from a civil servant actually, asking if it was only creatives and artists that Fahri and Raul would speak to. I said no, the session is open to anybody who might have concerns about the law and legalities in their industries. 'It seems that this topic of law and art piques the interest of the public, so we're curious to see how things will go,' he adds. Knowledge is power According to Fahri, the idea for the "Art X Law" project has been taking shape for some time. 'I got to know Nick when I commissioned him and his friend Marisa to create a mural at my office back in 2023, and we have grown to become friends,' he says. Over time, Fahri gained a deeper understanding and insight into the life of an artist through numerous conversations with Nick, as well as other artists. 'Although the details of their stories differ, the challenges they faced in promoting, selling, and having their works exhibited, in earning a living, in securing enough money for materials, and in regularly dealing with ill and unfair treatment were disappointingly similar, unless you were an artist accepted by the establishment. 'I felt it was unjust, and I could play a role in supporting the artist community from a legal standpoint against the unfair practices and disrespectful treatment they endured,' he says. Fahri then met Raul through Nick, and the lawyers connected over their interest in helping artists grappling with legal issues. For 42-year-old Raul, who's also a deejay, the appeal of "Art X Law" lies in how, in Malaysia, the tension between law and creativity isn't just theoretical - it's part of everyday reality. 'Artists often operate within legal grey areas shaped by moral policing, outdated statutes and censorship, so if the law doesn't evolve with culture, it risks becoming its enemy,' he says. Through this pilot, Raul says they hope to spotlight how legal frameworks can both empower and restrict creative work, the quiet ways people adapt and push back, as well as why the law needs to evolve alongside culture and not lag behind it. 'The idea of this project has haunted me, so I wanted to see if it could work if we started off small and simple. If no one turns up, I'll have a good time with Nick and Raul. If someone does turn up, we'll get to do what we planned. So there's no way the three of us can lose in this. If there's a demand, we'll figure out how to keep it going,' concludes Fahri. More info here.
Daily Mirror
04-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
'Our kids were murdered and now their killers are taunting us from behind bars'
Max Dixon and Jimmy Mizen were both 16 when they were murdered and, although the cases were 16 years apart, both their killers have since been able to "glorify" the attacks Two mums whose sons were murdered are calling for social media giants to do more to stop inmates posting from jail - after both killers "glorified" the teens' deaths online. Leanne Ekland's son Max Dixon and Margaret Mizen's son Jimmy Mizen were both aged 16 when they were murdered - almost 16 years apart. Max was killed alongside his best friend, Mason Rist, 15, after being brutally attacked outside Mason's home in Knowle, Bristol, on January 27, 2024, with a machete. Five people - including Kodishai Wescott, 17 - were jailed for life in December 2024 at Bristol Crown Court for their murders. In January 2025, it emerged that Wescott had posted "offensive" rap tracks about the murders on Snapchat while in jail. Margaret's son was killed on May 10, 2008, by Jake Fahri, now 35, who threw a glass dish which shattered and severed an artery in Jimmy's neck at a bakery in Lee, South-East London. Fahri received a life sentence for his death but was released on licence in June 2023. However, in January 2025, he was recalled by the Probation Service for "shamelessly boasting" about his crime in a rap song that was shared online. It was claimed Fahri was the masked drill artist TEN whose music had been played on BBC 1xtra. The mums are now calling on the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and social media companies to do more to stop inmates from posting on social media from jail and "glorifying" their crimes. Leanne, 45, a kitchen manager, from Knowle, Bristol, said: "It makes me sick to my stomach with anger. He's [Wescott] a despicable excuse of a person, not just for snatching Max from us, but to gloat about it. "He is glorifying the beautiful life of Max that he stole. He was told in court that he was showing remorse, but I didn't see any of that, and this proves to me that there was no remorse whatsoever." Margaret, 72, self-employed, from Lewisham, southeast London, added: "Finding out about the music he'd [Fahri] made was a complete shock. It brought up a lot of emotions for the family. It was a difficult time. "Why should he become a celebrity off the back of Jimmy's death? I can't help but think he was doing it in prison too. I think it's glorifying violence amongst young people." With the heartbroken mothers meeting for the first time recently, they have now issued a joint call for more to be done to stop killers from having access to social media to gloat about their crimes. They are not just putting pressure on prisons to do more, but also social media companies to act faster in taking down posts and accounts sharing similar content. Westcott's offensive video included rap lyrics which referenced to "33 seconds" - the time it took for him and three others to ambush and kill Max and Mason. It has been reported that Fahri was masked drill artist, TEN, whose music featured violent themes and concealed his identity with a balaclava in videos. In one song, he appears to reference Jimmy's death as "stuck it on a man and watched him melt like Ben and Jerry's". "These low lives are in prison for a reason, they shouldn't have phone privileges, let alone been allowed to upload anything like this in the first place." Leanne said. "Me and Margaret will never stop grieving our precious sons, having disrespectful content like that being posted is beyond insulting." Margaret added: "Even if Fahri is taunting me through music - I will not give up forgiveness, peace and hope. The day I drop to his level he's won. Leanne and I both have a common goal and sadly, too much in common. "Social media is a great concern due to the violence it attracts. Max's killer posted from prison, I can't confirm if Jimmy's killer did too but who knows - phones are too easily available there. There's lots of talking from the government and now I want to see some action." A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice has previously said it had disabled a number of accounts relating to the allegations of social media misuse.
