PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) – Malaysia’s top court on Tuesday began hearing a final appeal filed by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim against a sodomy conviction widely regarded as a means to neutralize the threat he poses to the country’s ruling coalition.
Anwar was sentenced to five years in prison in March on charges of sodomizing a male aide in 2008 after the appeals court overturned an earlier acquittal.
“I am confident of winning the case if we have judicial independence,” the 63-year-old said before entering the Federal Court, where around 200 of his supporters had gathered. “I’m mentally prepared but I don’t have much hope.”
Critics and independent human rights activists say the case against Anwar is the latest salvo in a long-running campaign by Malaysia’s coalition government to silence its most potent threat. The U.S. government and other Western governments have expressed concerns over his treatment.
“This trial is so unjust,” said Anwar’s wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail outside the courtroom. “We hope and pray that justice will be served, not just for Anwar but for all Malaysians.”