Alhamdullilah.... Anwar Ibrahim set free

I was nearly in tears reading this article, BBC NEWS Asia-Pacific Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim set free. It was also reported early at Malaysiakini.com. Star finally came up with something at 10.50 a.m.

I was at home with my child when the telephone rang. It was my wife, who called to advice me of the Federal Court decision on this case. I was talking about this matter to few friend last night, predicting the worst.

During my nite prayer before going to sleep last night, I did pray to Allah swt to release AI and to reduce his sufferings. Masyallah, Alhamdullilah! What else could I say?
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For the copy of the article,
Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim set free
The jailed former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, will be set free, after the country's highest court overturned his sodomy conviction.
The decision came six years to the day after his dramatic sacking by Malaysia's then Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohammed.

He was imprisoned in 1999 and had lost earlier appeal against his conviction.

He is now expected to travel to Germany to receive treatment for a back injury he says he suffered when arrested.

The country's former police chief was responsible for a beating he received when first arrested in September 1998, Anwar says.

"He is free to go, there is no doubt about it," said his lawyer Pawancheek Marican when the verdict was announced.

He is expected to leave custody later on Thursday.

Anwar was jailed in 1999 for corruption after a trial widely seen as politically motivated. It followed his disagreement with Mahathir Mohammad over how to run the country's economy.

In 2000, he received a further nine years for sodomy.

Anwar had already failed to reverse the first of those convictions.

Thursday's appeal to Malaysia's Federal Court - the country's highest - was the last legal opening for the former minister.

The court was reviewing an earlier rejection of Anwar's appeal - but decided to quash the original conviction by a vote of 2-1.

"We allow the sentence and conviction to be set aside. We find the High Court misdirected itself. He should have been acquitted," said Judge Abdul Hamid Mohamad, head of a three-judge panel.

The BBC's Jonathan Kent in Kuala Lumpur says Anwar's continued imprisonment had posed problems for the government of current Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi.

Although his star has waned since the days when thousands marched in protest at his treatment, many in Malaysia and abroad still regarded him as a political prisoner.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/3619790.stm
Published: 2004/09/02 03:15:41 GMT
© BBC MMIV
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On Malaysiakini.com;
Court frees Anwar!
Sep 2, 04 9:01am

In a 2-1 decision, the country’s highest court today set former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim free after quashing his sodomy conviction. Also freed was his adopted brother Sukma Darmawan Sasmitaat Madja who had been convicted of the same offence.

A three-man Federal Court bench - consisting of Abdul Hamid Mohamad, Rahmah Hussein and Tengku Baharudin Shah Tengku Mahmud - delivered the stunning decision at Putrajaya’s spanking new Palace of Justice.

Justice Abdul Hamid said that the High Court had misdirected itself in convicting and sentencing Anwar. He also said that the evidence of the prosecution's main witness Azizan Abu Bakar was uncorroborated.

“We’re not saying Azizan is an outright liar but he certainly is not the kind of witness the lower court said him to be,” said Abdul Hamid.

“He cannot be credible as he had given three different dates involving three different years (on when the alleged act of sodomy took place).

He added that Azizan was an accomplice to the alleged act because there was no evidence of protest.

Tengku Baharudin was also in favour of Anwar, while Rahmah dissented.

No deal

Anwar, upon hearing the judgment, gave his family and reporters a tired smile.

Later, he thanked Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for not interfering in the judiciary, unlike his predecessor Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Anwar also brushed aside rumours of a secret deal with Abdullah which resulted in today’s decision

Meanwhile, outside the court, Anwar’s supporters were seen hugging and shouting in jubilation.

They had been waiting outside the court building since early this morning, and reacted with joy and jubilation. A small number of police personnel kept a watchful eye on the crowd.

The 57-year-old ex-politician had arrived at 8.45am and was taken into the courtroom in a wheelchair. He came in an ambulance from Hospital Kuala Lumpur where he had been warded since July 12 due to a chronic back ailment which had worsen in recent weeks.

Fly to Munich

He is expected to fly to Munich, Germany later in the week for an urgent operation to treat a long standing spinal disc injury, which he said was aggravated by a police beating after his arrest in 1998.

Anwar’s appeal on both conviction and sentencing was made on the grounds that the conduct of the High Court trial four years ago was deeply flawed.

The High Court on Aug 8, 2000 had found Anwar and Sukma guilty of sodomising Anwar’s former family driver Azizan.

Their application to the Court of Appeal was rejected on April 18 last year.

Anwar has already completed more than one year of his nine-year jail sentence for sodomy, as well as an earlier six-year sentence for corruption.

Meanwhile, Sukma who had been serving his six-year sentence since last year, will be released from Kajang prison.

[Malaysiakini will continually update this report in the coming hours. Please click 'Refresh' or 'Reload' button in your browser for the latest news]

Click here for more news
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Anwar Ibrahim bebas!

Bekas Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim akhirnya mengecapi kebebasan hari ini apabila Mahkamah Persekutuan hari ini membatalkan sabitan dan hukuman liwat yang dijatuhkan oleh Mahkamah Tinggi empat tahun lalu.

Dua daripada tiga Hakim Mahkamah Persekutuan – Datuk Abdul Hamid Mohamad dan Datuk Tengku Baharudin Shah Tengku Mahmud – membenarkan rayuan Anwar terhadap hukuman tersebut.

Seorang lagi penal ialah hakim Datuk Paduka Rahmah Hussein. Berikutan itu, Anwar dibebaskan selepas lima tahun berjuang melalui mahkamah untuk mengenepikan kedua-dua sabitan dan hukuman bagi kesalahan salahguna kuasa dan liwat.

Anwar yang kini berusia 57 tahun telahpun selesai menjalani hukuman enam tahun penjara bagi kesalahan salahguna kuasa dan kini sedang menjalani hukuman sembilan tahun penjara bagi kesalahan liwat.

Menurut Hakim Abdul Hamid, Mahkamah Tinggi telah tersilap dalam mensabit dan menjatuhkan hukuman penjara terhadap Anwar.

Di samping itu, katanya, terdapat keterangan saksi utama pihak pendakwa, Azizan Abu Bakar, juga tidak disokong.

“Kami tidak mengatakan Azizan adalah seorang pembohong tetapi dia bukanlah seorang saksi yang dikatakan oleh mahkamah rendah,” katanya.

Rakan pelakuan

“Dia tidak boleh dianggap berwibawa kerana dia telah memberi tiga tarikh membabitkan tiga tahun yang berlainan (mengenai bila perbuatan liwat yang didakwa itu, berlaku).

Malah, katanya, Azizan juga merupakan rakan pelakuan dalam perbuatan yang didakwa itu kerana tiada terdapat bukti-bukti yang dia membantah.

Tengku Baharudin juga membenarkan rayuan Anwar, manakala Rahmah dalam keputusannya menolak rayuan tersebut.

Sebaik sahaja mendengar keputusan tersebut, Anwar menguntum senyuman sambil memaling ke arah anggota keluarganya.

Manakala di luar mahkamah, para penyokong Anwar juga berpelukan sambil melaung tanda kegembiraan mereka berikutan keputusan tersebut.

Mereka berkumpul di halaman Istana Keadilan di Putrajaya seawal 7 pagi tadi untuk mendengar keputusan Mahkamah Persekutuan tersebut.
Ada di kalangan penyokong Anwar yang membawa sepanduk berbunyi 'Bebaskan Anwar' manakala yang lainnya melaungkan slogan reformasi. Anggota polis, termasuk anggota Unit Simpanan Persekutuan (FRU), mengawal di sekitar kawasan berkenaan.

Diplomat asing

Juga kelihatan hadir ialah sebilangan diplomat asing dan pemerhati antarabangsa. Wartawan malaysiakini bagaimanapun, tidak dibenarkan masuk ke dewan mahkamah kerana tidak memiliki pas akhbar rasmi yang keluarkan oleh pihak kerajaan.

Anwar dijangka melepas ke Munich, Jerman minggu ini untuk menjalani pembedahan segera terhadap kecederaan tulang belakang yang dialaminya, yang menurutnya telah bertambah teruk selepas dibelasah oleh polis sewaktu dia ditangkap pada 1998.

Ini adalah pertama kalinya malaysiakini disekat daripada membuat liputan sejak media online ini mula membuat liputan perbicaraan Anwar sejak lima tahun lalu. Bagaimanapun, ia akan terus melaporkan perkembangan terbaru berhubung kes Anwar hari ini.

Para diplomat juga tidak dibenarkan memasuke ke dewan mahkamah yang telah sesak.

Anwar tiba di mahkamah pada jam 8.45 pagi dengan bantuan kereta tolak. Dia dibawa ke Putrajaya dengan sebuah ambulans dari Hospital Kuala Lumpur di mana Anwar sedang menjalani rawatan bagi sakit belakang sejak 12 Julai lalu.

Sebelum ini, tarikh mengumumkan keputusan terhadap rayuan Anwar itu sudah dua kali ditangguhkan.

Khabar angin

Anwar merayu terhadap sabitan dan hukuman bagi kedua-dua kesalahan tersebut dengan alasan perbicaraan di Mahkamah Tinggi empat tahun lalu, tidak dijalankan secara adil.

Pada 8 Ogos 2000, Mahkamah Tinggi mendapati Anwar dan adik angkatnya, Sukma Darmawan Sasmitaat Madja bersalah meliwat bekas pemandu keluar Anwar, Azizan Abu Bakar. Permohonan mereka kepada Mahkamah Rayuan ditolak pada 18 April tahun lalu.

Sementara itu, Anwar mengucapkan terima kasih kepada Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi kerana menurutnya, tidak campurtangan dalam bidang kehakiman.

Menurut Anwar lagi, Perdana Menteri dahulu, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, tidak akan melakukan perubahan-perubahan penting sepertimana yang diperkenalkan oleh Abdullah sekarang.

Beliau juga menafikan khabar angin mengenai rundingan sulit dengan Abdullah sehingga membawa kepada pembebasannya hari ini.
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On Star.com;
The Star Online > Latest
Thursday, September 02, 2004
Anwar Ibrahim's appeal allowed and he is freed
The Federal Court Thursday freed former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from prison.

The 2-1 ruling by a panel of the Federal Court also overturned the sodomy conviction and sentence of his adopted brother Sukma Darmawan Sasmitaat Madja.

Federal Court judge Justice Abdul Hamid Mohamad sat with another Federal Court judge, Justice Rahmah Hussain, and Court of Appeal judge Tengku Baharudin Shah Tengku Mahmud. They had reserved their judgment on May 20.

On April 18 2003, the Court of Appeal had dismissed Anwar and Sukma’s appeal against a High Court decision on Aug 8, 2000, which convicted them of sodomising Anwar’s former family driver Azizan Abu Bakar in 1993.

Developing story... details to follow.
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