Anwar Ibrahim given five-year prison sentence for sodomy
Malaysian opposition leader accuses judges of 'murdering judicial independence and integrity'

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has been sentenced to five years for sodomy by the country's highest court, despite accusations that the case is politically motivated.
The 67-year-old de facto Pakatan Rakyat leader was first accused of sodomising a former political aide seven years ago. He was acquitted in 2012, but this decision was overturned by the appeals court in March last year and upheld today by Malaysia's federal court.
After the verdict was delivered, Anwar said a tearful goodbye to his wife, children and grandchildren, reminding his grandson that he "must go to school", reports the Malaysian Insider.
Subscribe to 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.
He was overheard telling an opposition colleague: "I knew it was bad."
Outside the courtroom, hundreds of supporters chanted, as riot police prepared for any potential disturbance.
Anwar was the "rising star" of Malaysian politics in the mid-1990s before he fell out with then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1998, says The Guardian.
Since then, he has been targeted with successive prosecutions and spent several years in prison for alleged corruption and another case of sodomy, which is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia.
In the country's 2013 general election, Pakatan Rakyat won 48 per cent of the vote, posing a real possibility of a challenge to the Barisan Nasional coalition that has ruled Malaysia since 1957.
With a five-year prison sentence ahead, Anwar is expected to lose his parliamentary seat.
During the sentencing hearing, the opposition leader said the accusation was completely made up to stop his political career. He told the judges: "In bowing to the dictates of the political masters, you have become partners in crime for the murder of judicial independence and integrity."
Human Rights Watch described the court's "politically motivated" verdict as a "travesty" that would further undermine respect for rights and democracy in Malaysia.
One lawyer, Ramesh Sivakumar, told the Malaysian Insider that the verdict had also altered some of the fundamental legal principles in sexual offence cases. "The courts can now on completely disregard any need for corroborative evidence" he said. "To my mind, the bench has set [a] dangerous precedent on sexual offences which [are] easy to allege by a complaint but difficult to prove innocence by accused."
But in a statement published in the New Straits Times the government said the judges had reached their verdict "only after considering all the evidence in a balanced and objective manner".
A spokesperson also insisted the police report had been brought by the victim of a "serious sexual assault", not by the government.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Kill the Boer: Elon Musk and the anti-apartheid song
Under the radar Billionaire reignites controversy by linking South African 'struggle song' to 'white genocide'
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Critics’ choice: Restaurants worthy of their buzz
feature A fun bistro, a reservation worth the wait, and a modern twist on Mexican dishes
By The Week US Published
-
Film reviews: Snow White, Death of a Unicorn, and The Alto Knights
Feature A makeover for Disney’s first animated feature, greedy humans earn nature’s wrath, and a feud between crime bosses rattles the mob
By The Week US Published
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson Published
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published