A day after being freed from prison in a dramatic court ruling, former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim obtained a passport yesterday to travel to Germany for specialized back surgery and tested the waters for a comeback in Malaysian politics.
In constant pain from a back injury, due partly to a police beating he suffered after his arrest in 1998, the wheelchair-bound Anwar was taken to the passport office yesterday morning. Aides said he hoped to fly on a jet provided by the Saudi government to Munich, Germany, late yesterday night.
Anwar deflected questions on his future but clearly was keeping all doors open, praising both the opposition parties that supported him during his six-year imprisonment and the new prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, widely seen as having allowed the courts to free him.
Abdullah's son-in-law paid a visit overnight and conveyed the prime minister's regards, Anwar told reporters.
"Prime Minister Abdullah was more concerned about my medical condition," Anwar said. "There was no other issue discussed. I truly appreciate that. At least, there is civility in political differences."
Anwar has contrasted Abdullah's willingness to allow him to be freed to former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who retired and handed power to Abdullah 10 months ago.
"If it was Mahathir, I would have been finished off," Anwar told supporters Thursday night.
Mahathir, 78, was implacably hostile to Anwar after firing him Sept. 2, 1998, in a power dispute triggered by policy differences over the Asian economic crisis. Anwar refused to go quietly and led tens of thousands of people in the streets calling for Mahathir's ouster.
Anwar was arrested on security grounds Sept. 18, 1998, and beaten while chained to a cell bed by the national police chief. He was later charged with sodomy and corruption and convicted in trials widely seen as unfair. The United States and international human rights groups considered him a political prisoner.
The combative Mahathir was defiant after Thursday's ruling.
"I'm not going to lose any sleep," Mahathir told reporters. "I still believe that he's guilty. My conscience is clear."
A panel of the Federal Court voted 2-1 to overturn Anwar's conviction on sodomy, freeing him from at least five more years in prison. But Anwar remains barred from elected office for five years for a conviction of corruption, which still stands, though he has served the sentence.
A feud has broken out between the top leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on whether to maintain close ties with Russia. The AfD leader Alice Weidel this week slammed planned visits to Russia by some party lawmakers, while coleader Tino Chrupalla voiced a defense of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The unusual split comes at a time when mainstream politicians have accused the anti-immigration AfD of acting as stooges for the Kremlin and even spying for Russia. The row has also erupted in a year in which the AfD is flying high, often polling above the record 20 percent it
Ecuadorans are today to vote on whether to allow the return of foreign military bases and the drafting of a new constitution that could give the country’s president more power. Voters are to decide on the presence of foreign military bases, which have been banned on Ecuadoran soil since 2008. A “yes” vote would likely bring the return of the US military to the Manta air base on the Pacific coast — once a hub for US anti-drug operations. Other questions concern ending public funding for political parties, reducing the number of lawmakers and creating an elected body that would
The latest batch from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s e-mails illustrates the extraordinary scope of his contacts with powerful people, ranging from a top Trump adviser to Britain’s ex-prince Andrew. The US House of Representatives is expected to vote this week on trying to force release of evidence gathered on Epstein by law enforcement over the years — including the identities of the men suspected of participating in his alleged sex trafficking ring. However, a slew of e-mails released this week have already opened new windows to the extent of Epstein’s network. These include multiple references to US President Donald
CHARGES: The former president, who maintains his innocence, was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for a failed coup bid, as well as an assassination plot Far-right former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is running out of options to avoid prison, after judges on Friday rejected his appeal against a 27-year sentence for a botched coup bid. Bolsonaro lost the 2022 elections and was convicted in September for his efforts to prevent Brazlian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking power after the polls. Prosecutors said the scheme — which included plans to assassinate Lula and a top Brazilian Supreme Court judge — failed only due to a lack of support from military top brass. A panel of Supreme Court judges weighing Bolsonaro’s appeal all voted to uphold
RSS