Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Anwar Ibrahim, former deputy prime minister of Malaysia, walked free this week after six years in prison on charges of graft and homosexual sodomy that international observers said were bogus. Anwar was arrested in 1998, one day after then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, once an ally, fired him over political differences. The arrest triggered huge political protests. This week, the highest court dismissed the sodomy charges and said it would hear an appeal on the corruption counts. The ruling is seen as evidence that the courts are being allowed more independence under the new government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Anwar has flown to Germany to be treated for back problems sustained, he said, from beatings in prison.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 fairly vain cartoons about Vanity Fair’s interviews with Susie WilesCartoon Artists take on demolition derby, alcoholic personality, and more
-
Joanna Trollope: novelist who had a No. 1 bestseller with The Rector’s WifeIn the Spotlight Trollope found fame with intelligent novels about the dramas and dilemmas of modern women
-
Codeword: December 20, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
