Anwar Charged with Sodomy

Thursday, Aug. 07, 2008 By AP/EILEEN NG

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(KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia) —Malaysia's top opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim pleaded innocent Thursday to a sodomy charge, dismissing it as a "treacherous" accusation as he was freed on bail to campaign for a key by-election to Parliament.

Anwar, who faced a similar accusation a decade ago, was charged in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court amid massive police security underscoring the political tensions surrounding the case. Anwar says it is designed to thwart the rejuvenated opposition's bid to topple the government, which has been in power since independence in 1957.

Government prosecutors charged Anwar, 60, with sodomizing his 23-year-old male aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, on June 26 in a condominium in Kuala Lumpur. Defense lawyer Sankara Nair said "there is no case," adding that Anwar, a former deputy prime minister, has an alibi.

Anwar was charged under a section of the Criminal Procedure Code that says consensual sex between men is a crime. Sodomy is illegal even between consenting adults in this Muslim-majority nation and punishable by up to 20 years in prison. A separate section covers nonconsensual sodomy, which also has the same punishment.

"This is a treacherous and malicious accusation. I am not guilty," Anwar said after the charge was read in the courtroom packed with opposition activists.

The alleged sodomy became known after Saiful made a police complaint on June 28. It is not clear why Saiful was not charged even though he consented to the alleged crime. Saiful is currently under police protection.

The court released Anwar on bail pending a Sept. 10 hearing to determine whether the case should be transferred to a higher court.

As he walked out of the court, scores of supporters gathered outside clapped and shouted "Reformasi!" — Anwar's slogan for political reform. Riot police backed by trucks mounted with water cannon stood by.

The bail enables Anwar to campaign in an Aug. 26 by-election for a parliamentary seat that his wife vacated last week.

"This is clearly a political game," Anwar told reporters. "The charge is meant to embarrass me and nothing else. I'm not embarrassed."

Anwar accused Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of orchestrating the prosecution to roll back inroads made by Anwar's three-party opposition alliance in March general elections. Abdullah and other government leaders insist there is no conspiracy against Anwar.

"It is the dirty politics of a man who has lost support and very soon will lose power. We will fight them hard," said Anwar.

Abdullah's ruling coalition has a slim 30-seat majority in Parliament and has been troubled by Anwar's claims that he can persuade enough lawmakers to switch sides to bring down the government by Sept. 16.

International rights groups criticized the plan to prosecute Anwar.

"The Malaysian government appears to be manipulating the legal system to shore up support for its continued rule and undermine the opposition," said Brad Adams, Asia director of the New York-based Human Rights Watch.

Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific director, said there were "indications that the government is not playing by the rules in this case."

Analysts have forecast that Anwar will win this month's by-election because the constituency has been his stronghold since the early 1980s, including nearly two decades when he was in the government. He was ousted in 1998 as the deputy prime minister and imprisoned over accusations that he sodomized his driver and abused his power to cover up the offense.

A court quashed the sodomy conviction and freed him in 2004, but the corruption conviction barred him from office until April 2008. Anwar denied the charges and has waited since then to re-enter Parliament.

Associated Press writers Julia Zappei and Sean Yoong contributed to this report.