Malaysia's Anwar Found Guilty of Sodomy

K U A L A  L U M P U R, Malaysia, Aug. 8, 2000 -- A former Malaysian deputy prime

minister was convicted of sodomy, a widely expected verdict

that ended Anwar Ibrahim’s two-year battle against what he has

called a political conspiracy against him.

High Court Judge Ariffin Jaka announced his ruling today in a packedcourtroom. Lawyers for both sides went immediately into sentencinghearings.

Anwar had predicted a guilty verdict as he was led into thecourt, but veered between calm acceptance and outrage after thesentence was read.

“You have to be realistic,” Anwar said to reporters whilehugging his wife, Azizah Ismail. “Bloody, rotten judiciary!”

Then he shouted, “Sick!” and threw up his hands up infrustration before storming away from the public gallery to consultwith his lawyers, who said they would appeal.

Yearlong Trial

Tuesday’s judgment ends a yearlong trial, the second for Anwarsince he was fired by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1998. Ithas raised concerns about the fairness of Malaysia’s judiciary, thecountry’s overall human rights record and Mahathir’s determinationto continue his 19-year rule, the longest in Asia.

Anwar and his allies have said the prosecution was stage-managedto eliminate his challenge and crush his movement for more liberalpolitics in the predominantly Muslim Southeast Asian nation.

Judge Ariffin, who had maintained that he would render a verdictbased on the facts, not politics, read from a prepared statementand systematically rejected Anwar’s claims of conspiracy.

Ariffin also found Anwar’s codefendant and adopted brother,Sukma Dermawan, guilty and described the testimony of their formerfamily driver and accuser, Azizan Abu Bakar, as unimpeachable.

“I’m satisfied that the prosecution has proved its case beyondreasonable doubt. I therefore find both the accused guilty as perthe charge,” Ariffin said.

During the case, Azizan twice changed the dates that he said hehad been sodomized and was painted by the defense as an opportunistwho lied for money.

Protesters Gather

About 200 pro-Anwar supporters gathered outside the courthouse.There was no violence, but they were confronted by hundreds of riotpolice with water cannon on standby.

“I’m shocked,” defense attorney Christopher Fernando saidafter the verdict. “I’m absolutely flabbergasted. We willdefinitely appeal.”

Under Malaysian law, sodomy is punishable by up to 20 years inprison and a whipping by a rattan cane. Convicts older than 50aren’t beaten.

The guilty verdict could remove Anwar, a high-profile figure onthe international stage in the years he was Mahathir’sheir-apparent, from public gaze until his old age and dash hisambitions to someday become prime minister.

Anwar is already serving a six-year prison term for a corruptionconviction last year and is barred from politics for a further fiveyears after his release.

The corruption and sodomy allegations were leveled against Anwarshortly after Mahathir abruptly fired him in September 1998,triggering Anwar to call for reform of an entrenched politicalsystem that he said was corrupt and beset with cronyism. The twomen had increasingly disagreed over how to handle the Asianeconomic crisis.

The sacking brought some 30,000 people into the normally placidstreets of Kuala Lumpur to support Anwar in the biggest displays ofpublic protest in recent memory. Anwar was arrested and was beatenin custody by the chief of the national police, fueling publicanger at the government.