Al Gore, US Vice-President
I am deeply disturbed by the verdicts handed down in Malaysia in the
case of Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his adopted brother. The
show trial the two men were forced to endure mocked international standards
of justice. These verdicts are politically motivated and designed to remove
Anwar from the political arena indefinitely.
Madeleine Albright, US Secretary of State
I think that in this day and age it is accepted procedure for countries
to comment on injustice and I think Anwar has not had the ability to have
a free and fair trial. There are lots of things that Dr Mahathir has done
that I don't think serve Malaysia well and are not within the spirit of
how the Asian countries are evolving. There are certain countries where
people deserve better, Malaysia is one of them
John Howard, PM of Australia
There is enough concern, given the long history of this, to cause me
to worry that the judiciary there is not as independent as used to be the
case. It does seem to be part of a series of events that represents some
kind of political campaign against Anwar, and that is a matter of very
great concern.
European Union
In a declaration released by the presidency, which is being held by
France, the European Union noted with deep concern the verdict announced
on 8 August 2000 against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and said that several
aspects of the proceedings of the second trial, as with the first, raised
serious doubts about its fairness.
Richard Boucher, US State Dept Spokesman
The United States is very distressed by the convictions of the former
deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, and his adopted brother on sodomy
charges. We're also outraged by the imposition of a nine-year sentence
to be added consecutively to the six-year sentence that Anwar is currently
serving on his previous corruption conviction. We share the opinion and
concern of many Malaysian and international observers about the questionable
fairness of the trial
Lloyd Axworthy, Foreign Minister of Canada
Canada is concerned over the deterioration of the independence of Malaysia's
judicial system. Furthermore, allegations of misconduct against senior
judges in that country are diminishing the credibility of the entire legal
process. The convictions are a result of a trial help in Kuala Lumpur that
Canada believes was seriously flawed. Canada is concerned over the deterioration
of the independence of Malaysia's judicial system
Phil Goff, New Zealand's Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister
There is, however, deep concern about the adequacy and fairness of
the processes followed in reaching this verdict. These reservations relate
to the reliability and admissibility of evidence, constraints placed on
the defence and the independence of the judiciary from the executive.
James Wolfensohn, World Bank President
This sentence is very troubling. My thoughts are with Anwar's wife,
Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and his family at this time
John Malott, former United States ambassador to Malaysia
I have been following the developments in this particular trial since
the charges were filed in April last year and I just don't think the government
came anywhere near making its case. It's hard to escape the conclusion
that this is a political verdict, and it's another blow to Malaysia's international
image. I am extremely disappointed with this verdict, but I have to say
I'm not surprised, given the Mahathir government's cruel and vengeful treatment
of Anwar since all this began in 1998.
Human Rights Watch, an international rights group
The verdicts are another blow to justice in Malaysia. What has happened
to Anwar and his supporters highlights the fragility of rights there. If
you're out of favor with the political leadership — no matter how high
you might rise in the government — you have very little protection. This
is a real step backwards for Malaysia.
International Commission of Jurists
The ICJ deplores executive manipulation of the judiciary and use of
the criminal justice system to launch politically motivated prosecutions
and muzzle dissent. The adequacy and fairness of the processes in reaching
the verdict was dissatisfactory.
Mr Anwar's mistreatment, including his beating during detention, was
contrary to international human rights standards. The sentences imposed
are wholly disproportionate to the alleged offences committed.
Law Society of Asia
The Malaysian judicial system has been brought into disrepute following
the verdict of the Anwar-Sukma trial. The international legal community
treats this case and the outcome with great suspicion. The irregularities
which had occurred in this trial have raised grave concern as to whether
the charges and the entire case have been influenced by the executive of
the government.
Amnesty International
In order to remove Anwar from political life and to discredit him publicly,
those in power resorted to measures including the misuse of law, state
institutions and the courts, the ill-treatment of detainees to coerce confessions,
and the erosion of the right to a free trial. In the face of such a challenge,
the courts failed to defend effectively fundamental human rights principles
enshrined in the Malaysian constitution and reflected in international
human rights law
The Washington Post Editorial
The Washington Post in its editorial titled Show Trial in Malaysia
said that the heavy and consecutive sentencing was what "the country's
authoritarian-minded prime minister wants".It stated that both cases against
Anwar were trumped up to silence "a man who once served the 74-year-old
Mr Mahathir as deputy prime minister but grew disillusioned with the cronyism
and corruption that are endemic to Mr Mahathir's style of governance
The Times, UK Editorial
After two years of legal chicanery, farcical procedure and naked political
bias, the nine-year sentence imposed yesterday on Anwar Ibrahim is hardly
surprising. But that does not make it any less shocking. From the very
start, the sodomy trial of the former Malaysian Finance Minister and deputy
to Dr Mahathir Mohamad was a nakedly political show, intended not to discover
the truth of the accusation but to destroy the reputation and political
career of Mr Anwar, whose crusade for political reform and against corruption
struck a powerful chord with voters. The verdict was as predetermined as
it is inexcusable. Mr Anwar himself summed up the trial in a single comment:
sick.
The Guardian UK Editorial
The Guardian daily from the UK titled its leader column Justice, Malaysia
style and wrote about the many discrepancies and irregularities involved
in the trial, adding that Justice Ariffin Jaka "struggled on manfully".
It stated that the verdict deeply shames Malaysia and its leader as Anwar's
trial was a case of perversion of justice
The Australian Editorial
Th assault on Anwar while in custody, doubts over forced retractions
of allegations and changes in the dates of alleged offences are unacceptable.
The trial process was open to foreign scrutiny — and shown to be perverted
The Age, Melbourne Editorial
The trial must go down as one of the great show trials of recent history.
Judge Arifin, who acted as jury too, was unexpectedly assigned to the case
in place of another, highly respected judge, and managed to find the charges
proved in the face of the most bizarre and contradictory evidence
The Nation, Thailand Editorial
His trial was a violation of human rights and a blight on democracy.
The decision, though expected, marks a serious setback to the Malaysian
judicial system. It also raises doubts about governance and democracy in
a country that prides itself on its ‘Asian values'.
South China Morning Post Editorial
Hong Kong's South China Morning Post wrote that the verdict was a "foregone
conclusion", adding that the sodomy trial has ended with a vindictive sentence.
It said the scales of justice were heavily tilted against Anwar from the
very beginning.
It added that it cannot be comfortable to live in a system where "sodomy
is judged a greater crime than corruption" or where verdicts are based
on discredited evidence, or on statements later retracted on grounds they
were made under duress.
Sydney Morning Herald Editorial
This was a political trial from start to finish, as was the corruption
trial which preceded it. That was a selective use of the power to prosecute,
and so was the resort to the sodomy law. This law, a relic of the British
colonial penal code, is rarely used in Malaysia, and when it is, the sentence
which follows a conviction is usually far lighter than the nine years imposed
on Anwar.
Philippines Daily Enquirer Editorial
The trial and conviction of Anwar have served the political purpose
of destroying him as Mahathir's rival in their power struggle, but they
have damaged the integrity of Malaysia's police and judicial system and
cast a cloud over their impartiality and independence. The conviction had
all the hallmarks of a political trial