Malaysia’s top court upholds opposition leader’s sentence
Malaysia’s top court has upheld the conviction of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim over sodomy charges, dismissing his appeal against the case.
Federal Court judge Arifin Zakat read the ruling on behalf of a five-judge panel on Tuesday, saying there was “overwhelming evidence” that Anwar sodomized an aide in 2008, and therefore the court upheld a five-year sentence handed down by the Appeals Court last year.
Sodomy carries a punishment of up to 20 years in prison in Malaysia.
Anwar, 67, had said ahead of the verdict that there was “no reason whatsoever for them to ever consider putting me to jail.”
“I am innocent,” he stated. “Now in the event there’s a political decision to put me in jail, I understand the system.”
A few hundreds of Anwar’s supporters had gathered outside the court before the ruling, chanting slogans and demanding his freedom.
Government critics say the case is part of a long-time campaign to destroy Anwar, a former deputy premier, who was sacked from the ruling party in the late 1990s.
Many believe that Anwar, the leader of a three-party alliance, is the only man who can break the dominance of the Barisan Nasional coalition, which has been in power since 1957.
Reactions to the ruling
Following the court verdict, Anwar said his imprisonment could backfire and draw more public support for him.
“Authoritarian leaders always believe the best way to deal with dissidents is to jail them, but throughout history, it has always backfired,” Anwar said, adding that if Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak “chooses to take this line — I hope not — then he is inviting problems for this country.”
Human Rights Watch (HRW) charged the Malaysian government with continuing a “politically motivated prosecution” of Anwar.
“Allowing this travesty of justice to stand will further undermine respect for rights and democracy in Malaysia,” said Phil Robertson, the HRW’s deputy director for Asia.
Najib's government, however, said Anwar’s case has gone through an exhaustive legal process.
“The process is now complete and we call on all parties to respect the legal process and judgment,” said a government statement released following the verdict.
MSM/HJL/HMV
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