Malaysia’s Anwar awaits court ruling on sodomy charges

Crowds have gathered outside Malaysia’s highest court as the nation waits with bated breath to hear if opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will be jailed on a controversial sodomy conviction. Anwar, 67, is fighting against a five-year jail sentence. If the appeal to the Federal Court fails, he will be jailed for sodomy for the second time in his volatile political career and might not emerge from prison until the age of 72.

I’m cautiously optimistic, but I’m also realistic. I’m mentally, spiritually and physically prepared to return to jail.

Malaysia opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim

The opposition calls the case part of a long-running campaign by the government to harass Anwar, a former top official who was ousted in the late 1990s and later helped unite a previously divided and hapless opposition into a formidable force. A popular former deputy prime minister in the UMNO administration, Anwar was sensationally ousted in a bitter 1998 power struggle, beaten by police and jailed for six years on past sodomy and corruption charges. The case was widely viewed as politically motivated, and the sodomy conviction was eventually thrown out.

Asia-Pacific Anwar Ibrahim