Malaysia's Opposition Leader Acquitted in Sodomy Trial

January 09, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was acquitted on Monday in a stunning climax to a two-year sodomy trial and quickly set his sights on ousting the long-ruling coalition in upcoming polls. The unexpected decision set off pandemonium at the Kuala Lumpur High Court where Anwar, a former deputy premier who was sacked in 1998 and jailed on earlier sodomy charges, was mobbed by jubilant family and friends. "Thank God, justice has been served," Anwar told reporters in the courtroom after being cleared of sexual misconduct with a young male aide, charges he said were a conspiracy to cripple his resurgent opposition alliance. Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports from Kuala Lumpur.

(more) (less)

In This Video

Anwar Ibrahim

Anwar bin Ibrahim, född 10 augusti 1947 i Cherok Tok Kun, Pinang, är en malaysisk politiker som var landets biträdande premiärminister 1993 till 1998, under Mahathir bin Mohamads tid som premiärminister. Ibrahim blev under sin tid som biträdande premiärminister allt mer kritis... Explore this topic

Malaysia

Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia. It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories and has a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometres separated by the South China Sea into two similarly sized regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Malays... Explore this topic

Anwar Ibrahim sodomy trials

The Anwar Ibrahim sodomy trials are a source of considerable political controversy in Malaysia. The first trial was held in 1998, and resulted in former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim being convicted, and given a nine-year prison sentence. This verdict was overturned in 2... Explore this topic

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the federal capital and most populous city in Malaysia. The city covers an area of 243 km² and has an estimated population of 1.6 million as of 2012. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 5.7 million as of 2010. It i... Explore this topic

Politics of Malaysia

The politics of Malaysia takes place in the framework of a federal representative democratic constitutional monarchy, in which the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is head of state and the Prime Minister of Malaysia is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the federal g... Explore this topic

DNA profiling

DNA profiling is a technique employed by forensic scientists to assist in the identification of individuals by their respective DNA profiles. DNA profiles are encrypted sets of numbers that reflect a person's DNA makeup, which can also be used as the person's identifier. DNA p... Explore this topic

Najib Razak

Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak is a Malaysian politician who has been the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia since 2009. He previously held the post of Deputy Prime Minister from 7 January 2004 until he succeeded Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Prime Ministe... Explore this topic

Sodomy

Содомија је сексуална перверзија која се састоји у сексуалном односу између човека и животиње. Овај начин општења среће се код ментално заосталих особа или оних са поремећајима или осујећењима сексуалне функције из различитих психо-социјалних разлога. Explore this topic

Trial

In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, which may occur before a judge, jury, or other designated tr... Explore this topic

Improvised explosive device

An improvised explosive device is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery round, attached to a detonating mechanism. Roadside bombs are a common... Explore this topic

Also See

Anwar Ibrahim

Malaysia

Anwar Ibrahim sodomy trials

Watch Next

5:48

Malaysian Opposition Rallies over 'Rigged Election'

LinkAsia | May 10

Malaysia's opposition coalition is calling foul after losing to the ruling party in a general election which saw the highest voter turnout in the n...