Convicted Anwar to appeal sentence

Anwar, who still faces another corruption charge and five charges of sodomy, was sacked as deputy prime minister and finance minister in September last year following a bitter feud with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

He was later arrested following a series of anti-government protests, the biggest here in decades.

Anwar’s lawyers told mediapersons outside the court that they were going to appeal against the conviction and sentence.“We are going to file an appeal immediately,” a lawyer said.

The judge disallowed bail pending appeal.

Dismissing the judgment as “an absolute disgrace”, Anwar accused Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of plotting against him.

“I have been dealt a judgment that stinks to high heaven,” Anwar said in a statement he read in the court after he was convicted.

“The charges are part of a political conspiracy to destroy me and ensure Mahathir Mohamad’s continued hold on power at whatever cost, even if it means sacrificing whatever little is left of the judiciary’s integrity,” he said.

After Anwar’s conviction, violence broke out in the city as his supporters fought back with stones, lit bonfires and clashed with police.

Meanwhile, human rights groups and foreign critics slammed the sentencing with Amnesty International calling him a prisoner of conscience.

“The prison gates may have been shut today on Anwar Ibrahim but the public debate about human rights and political freedoms that his case hasgenerated in Malaysia cannot be so easily silenced,” Amnesty said.

The London-based human rights watchdog said in a statement that the sentence “reflects a disturbing pattern of misuse of the law and state institutions by the Malaysian executive for political purposes.”

Among initial reactions from Malaysia’s neighbours, New Zealand said it was not appropriate to comment on specific aspects of the trial.

But New Zealand will watch any appeal with“critical interest,” Foreign Minister Don McKinnon said.

“We hope that the process and outcome of any appeal will reaffirm the credibility of Malaysia’s judicial system.”

Japan, traditionally reluctant to comment on human rights in Asia in light of its own wartime aggression in the region, said it was not in a position to comment on the verdict itself.

Australia’s opposition Labour Party called the sentencing of Anwar a “black day” for justice, human rights and Malaysia’s international standing.