After his appeal was denied on all counts, the sentencing hearing startedand Anwar took the gloves off, declaring the incident was a “complete fabrication” and a “political conspiracy” and attacking the five Federal Court judges for becoming “partners in the crime for the murder of judicial independence and integrity.”
READ: Court upholds Anwar sodomy charge
The judges weren’t having any of that, and abruptly stood up and walked out of the courtroom to deliberate in chambers on Anwar’s fate, leaving a stunned courtroom behind them.
Anwar now faces five years in prison to contemplate the question that is on the minds of many Malaysians, which is how could a government get away with prosecuting a former deputy prime minister and the head of the opposition not once, but twice, for violating an archaic British colonial law against sodomy that has been invoked a total of only seven times since 1938?
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Anwar’s conviction last week may be a new low for the Malaysia government’s rights record, but it should not be seen in isolation from the growing intolerance for civil and political rights emanating from Putrajaya.
The wider international community — be it Malaysia’s allies, foreign business investors, and the United Nations — should wake up and recognize that the Malaysian government is changing and not for the better.
It’s time to support Malaysia’s human rights defenders, and recognize that if the world wants a democratic, rights-respecting Malaysia, it’s going to have to fight for it.
