Anwar celebrates birthday in prison as protests grow

Anwar celebrates birthday in prison as protests grow

KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysia's ex-deputy premier Anwar
Ibrahim spent his 53rd birthday in a cell on Thursday and faces
at least another eight birthdays behind bars, despite
international and local outrage over his jailing.

The man once tipped as the next prime minister was Tuesday
convicted of sodomy after a 14-month trial and jailed for nine
years.

The new sentence starts at the end of a six-year jail term
imposed in April 1999 for abuse of official powers and could keep
him locked up until 2014. With customary remission he could be
out in 2009.

Anwar was due to sign his notice of appeal against conviction
and sentence, defense lawyer Sankara Nair said on Thursday. A
previous appeal against his earlier conviction was rejected.

U.S. Vice President Al Gore launched the latest broadside over
the verdict, branding the "show trial" a mockery of justice.

"I am deeply disturbed by the verdicts handed down in Malaysia
in the case of (ex) Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his
adopted brother," the presidential candidate said in a strongly-
worded statement on Wednesday.

"The show trial the two men were forced to endure mocked
international standards of justice," said Gore, who enraged Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad in November 1998 by praising Anwar's
"brave" supporters.

"These verdicts are politically motivated and designed to
remove Anwar from the political arena indefinitely," Gore added.
Anwar will be banned from standing for elections for five years
from his release date.

He says Mahathir orchestrated a conspiracy to frame him
because he intended to expose corruption and because the premier
saw him as a political threat.

Mahathir, in his first comments Wednesday on the case, denied
any conspiracy and said his former protege got a fair trial.
"It is a normal trial, there is no conspiracy. It is impossible
in Malaysia to have a conspiracy on such an extent involving
literally hundreds of people," the premier said.

"He (Anwar) is the one who is involved in some conspiracy to
try and promote himself to be the prime minister sooner that it
was thought possible."

Canada said on Thursday it summoned Malaysia's ambassador to
register its "deep concern" over the conviction of former finance
minister Anwar Ibrahim on a sodomy charge.

"We have called in the Malaysian High Commissioner today to
register our consternation directly with governmental authorities
over Mr Anwar's trial and sentencing," Canada's foreign ministry
said in a statement quoting Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy.

The statement, dated August 9 and from Ottawa, was issued by
Canada's high commission (embassy) in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

Criticism of Malaysia has poured in since a judge on Tuesday
found Anwar guilty of sodomy and sentenced him to nine years in
jail. That sentence will start once he finishes a six-year jail
term that began in April 1999 for an earlier corruption
conviction.

Malaysian newspapers on Thursday devoted little space to the
international outcry over Anwar's conviction.

The New Straits Times, owned by interests close to Mahathir's
political party, ran a story on page two headlined Philippine,
Thai leaders decline comments.

The story said Manila and Bangkok had adhered to the principle
of noninterference by saying the trial was Malaysia's internal
affair.

Canada also strongly condemned the verdict and sentence.
Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy expressed "deep concern" over the
convictions of Anwar and his adopted brother Sukma Darmawan.
Sukma was sentence to six years plus four strokes of the cane but
bailed pending an appeal.

"The convictions are a result of a trial held in Kuala Lumpur
that Canada believes was seriously flawed," Axworthy said.
He added: "Canada is concerned over the deterioration of the
independence of Malaysia's judicial system."

Local rights groups, the Bar Council and opposition parties
voiced strong concern. But Anwar's former friends in neighboring
Southeast Asian countries have stayed silent.

The Free Anwar Campaign launched over the Internet
(www.freeanwar.com) said Anwar would spend Thursday -- his 690th
day in detention -- in solitary confinement.

In a statement it said the world "looks at Anwar as a
political detainee, innocent of the crimes charged, his only
offense being opposing the abuse of power and tyranny by the
powers-that-be."

The campaign added: "Anwar may have lost the legal battle. But
this is no shame when the battlefield was not level anyway.
"If at all, it has made Mahathir look more the despot that he is.
And this will enable Anwar to eventually win the war."