Opposition leader expresses relief after beating sodomy charge

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• published: 30 Jul 2015
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SHOTLIST 1. Wide of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in an interview 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia Opposition Leader: "We're prepared you know, I and Azizah (Anwar's wife), we are prepared. I got my medicines, I got my toiletries, whatever, ready this morning, in the event that I am put back to jail. So we are quite ready to face whatever the consequences (are), we know the risk of the struggle in such a country under authoritarian rule." 3. Cutaway of hand 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia Opposition Leader: "Because the evidence to the contrary, demolishing the substantive arguments of the prosecution, it was so compelling that they have no option. Secondly, what we did, knowing the conduct of the court in the past was to bring the entire case of the prosecution defence to the general public." 5. Mid of Anwar Ibrahim 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia Opposition Leader: "Well, my supporters are ecstatic. This is the freedom not only for Anwar but also for Malaysian people. And I think they see this as an opportunity for me to work together with the leaders of political parties and to move. And they have the freedom to exercise, not only that but even the conduct of the police generally in showing some major tolerance to our supporters is quite unprecedented too. I hope this can stay. But to assume that this means judiciary is independent, I think it is a bit far fetched" 7. Anwar speaking on phone STORYLINE Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim celebrated a surprising triumph over sodomy charges on Monday, pledging to focus his energies on toppling the government in elections expected soon after a two-year trial that polarised public opinion. Anwar said he was prepared to return to jail, knowing what he called "the risk of the struggle in such a country under authoritarian rule." The Kuala Lumpur High Court acquitted Anwar of sodomising a male former aide, ruling that the prosecution's DNA evidence was unreliable in a verdict that upended Anwar's worst-case scenario of a 20-year prison sentence. Prime Minister Najib Razak's administration described the judgment as a repudiation of Anwar's long-standing insistence that the government trumped up the sodomy charge and manipulated the judiciary to thwart his hopes to become Malaysia's next leader. Anwar said he was surprised by the verdict, but remained convinced the case was politically motivated. "To assume ... judiciary is independent is a bit far-fetched," Anwar said. Anwar was imprisoned for six years after being ousted as deputy prime minister in 1998 on charges of sodomising his former family driver and abusing his power. Sodomy, even consensual, is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia, but the law against it is seldom enforced. Anwar's earlier trials were criticised by foreign governments and rights groups that called Anwar's incarceration an attempt to extinguish his challenge to former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Anwar was freed after Malaysia's top court quashed the sodomy conviction. He led a three-party opposition alliance to unprecedented gains in 2008 elections, but his future was thrown into jeopardy some months later when Saiful Bukhari Azlan, a 26-year-old former aide, accused Anwar of forcing him to have sex in an apartment. Government supporters insisted throughout the trial that the allegations proved that Anwar was morally unfit to lead. But opposition activists called it a smear campaign masterminded by Malaysia's long-ruling coalition to cling to power. The case hinged mainly on Saiful's testimony and semen samples found on his body that investigators said matched Anwar's DNA. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/063205222d9bd02f9d7002e339ca980a Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork