World Outrage Over Anwar Sodomy Verdict

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
 

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