Malaysia jails opposition leader for sodomy; U.S. ‘deeply disappointed’

Malaysia’s opposition leader on Tuesday began a five-year prison sentence after the country’s top court unanimously upheld a conviction that he sodomized a political aide, a ruling that effectively wiped out the gravest threat to the ruling party and drew criticism from human rights activists around the world.

The decision was the culmination of a lengthy legal battle that plucked Anwar, 67, out of the electoral landscape less than two years after his coalition nearly toppled the ruling party in the closest election in Malaysian history. Anwar has maintained his innocence and said the case is an attempt by the long- ruling party to sideline him, a charge the government denies.

“This, to me, is a fabrication coming from a political conspiracy to stop my career,” Anwar said in the courtroom, calling the judges partners in crime.

The government rejected Anwar’s accusation, saying the trial was a matter of sexual assault. “The police report against Anwar Ibrahim was brought by a private individual — Anwar’s employee and personal assistant — not by the government,” the government said in a statement. “As the victim of serious sexual assault, he had every right to have his case heard in court.”

Saiful Bukhari Azlan, an aide in Anwar’s party said the politician sodomized him in 2008 and he complied out of fear, according to the Associated Press .

Sodomy, even if consensual, is punishable by whipping and up to 20 years in prison in Malaysia. As a result of the conviction, Anwar was stripped of his parliamentary seat and will be barred from running for office for five years after his release, disqualifying him from the country’s next election.

Malaysia’s ruling party lost the popular vote in the country’s 2013 election, but won two-thirds of the seats in parliament. After the election, Anwar rejected the results as electoral fraud, sparking protests throughout the country.

The White House said that it is “deeply disappointed” in the conviction. “The decision to prosecute Mr. Anwar and the conduct of his trial have raised a number of serious concerns about rule of law and the fairness of the judicial system in Malaysia,” said U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan in a statement.

Hundreds of supporters gathered outside the courthouse waving party flags and protesting the sentence, according to Reuters .

“Grim day for human rights and democracy in Malaysia,” Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division, tweeted. The trial “was blatantly political from day one,” he wrote.

This is the second time Anwar has been convicted for sodomy. In the late 90’s after being kicked out of the ruling party, he served six years in prison on corruption and sodomy charges that were later dropped, according to the New York Times.