Malaysia

Anwar arrested on sex charges

Article published on the 2008-07-16 Latest update 2008-07-16 14:15 TU

Anwar Ibrahim.
(Photo : Reuters)

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was arrested Wednesday in Kuala Lampur, even though he was en route to a police interrogation later in the day, his lawyer said. While he has not yet been formally charged, he is accused of sodomising a male aid, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years.

Anwar, who was jailed for eight years in the 1990s on the same charge, was picked up by police on the steps of his home. His wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, told RFI that she fears for his safety as he was beaten by the police chief after his last arrest.

“It’s highly suspicious… these charges are all fabricated because we have not even seen the police report that is levelled against him. In 1998, when he was arrested…he was beaten senseless by the inspector of police…that’s why we fear for his safety”, she told RFI.  

 

  

The police confirmed Anwar’s arrest and the fact that he was scheduled to meet with them to discuss the charges leveled by former aid Saiful Bukhari Azlan. Sodomy continues to be illegal in Malaysia, where the act – even between consenting adults – carries a heavy prison sentence.

Anwar called the charges a conspiracy to prevent him from taking back power. He dismissed them as a rerun of his 1998 arrest.

The charges threaten Anwar’s political comeback, after his People's Justice Party won large gains in March’s parliamentary elections. Anwar continues to be the inspirational leader of a reform movement in Malaysian politics, which started following his 1998 arrest.

The party has called for a rally outside police headquaters and assured that it would be peaceful, for fear of provoking a crackdown on the wider reform movement.