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Monday, October 27, 2014

PKR starts international appeal to ensure fair trial for Anwar

PKR has started an international appeal to ensure Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is guaranteed a free and fair hearing in his sodomy appeal, which starts tomorrow at the Federal Court.

PKR head of international affairs, Gooi Hsiao Leung, said this was necessary as the trial was orchestrated to humiliate and destroy Anwar.

"We have been in close contact with foreign missions and embassies – as well as being in touch with lawmakers in Australia, UK, France, Indonesia and other countries," said Gooi in a statement today.‎

"Apart from many embassies who have indicated that they will send observers to the trial, international organisations such as FIDH (Federation of Human Rights), Lawasia, IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union), Austrialian Law Council, ICJ (International Court of Justice) have all confirmed they will be sending observers to the appeal."

Gooi, who is Alor Setar MP, added that two renown professors; John L. Esposito and John O. Voll from Georgetown University, as well as Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, Chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, had all issued statements expressing concern and support for Anwar.

He noted that the Human Rights Watch had also issued a statement on October 23, condemning Anwar’s prosecution asking the Malaysian authorities to “drop their case against Anwar Ibrahim or risk making a travesty of the country’s criminal justice system”.

Gooi said the case was mired in "disturbing facts and evidence", such as the meeting between the plaintiff, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, ‎and the prime minister and his wife two days before the incident, Saiful's calls to the then-Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan, and the controversies surrounding the DNA evidence.

"The above facts have seriously undermined and questioned the integrity of this case, i.e. whether the complaints made by Saiful are genuine or were they orchestrated as part of a political conspiracy to finish off Anwar politically."

‎Yesterday, Utusan Malaysia claimed that Anwar has failed to attract international support ahead for his sodomy appeal.

Using the pseudonym 'Awang Selamat', the newspapers' editors said it was clear that other countries were not interested in interfering in Anwar's private affairs.

In his column, Awang said that PKR's campaign for solidarity towards Anwar, #RakyatHakimNegara, had also failed to garner the hundreds of thousands of supporters it was meant to attract.

"These developments have made Anwar anxious, but Awang believes he will not give up and will do anything to drag the people into his amoral affairs," wrote Awang yesterday.

Anwar is appealing his sodomy conviction for the final time at the Federal Court tomorrow and on Wednesday.

On March 7, the Court of Appeal overturned his sodomy acquittal by the High Court two years earlier.

The appellate court found Anwar guilty of sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, at a unit at the Desa Damansara condominium in Bukit Damansara between 3.10pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.

Anwar was sentenced to five years’ jail, but was granted a stay, pending an appeal to the Federal Court.‎

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