Anwar Ibrahim
Malaysia: The NY Times has an article concerning ANOTHER Anwar Ibrahim trial. Over the last 30 years, Mr. Anwar has not been a stranger to Malaysian jails, nor to the charge of sodomy, but his latest running-a foul with the political elite may have some serious repercussions in Malaysia, as well as to the nation’s image abroad. The entire situation appears to be less about sexual improprieties and more about the epic battle between the opposition and the ruling government coalition which has been in power since Malaysia’s independence from Great Britain. Anwar is the leader of the main opposition coalition, which he is holding together by sheer force of will, so he is once again in the bulls-eye.
In Malaysia, sodomy, or “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” as described by the penal code, is illegal for both heterosexual and homosexual couples and is punishable by 20 years in prison.
Any sentence over one year will result in Anwar being banned from politics for 5 years. Despite the political viability of both his wife and daughter, his absence will be a major setback for his politically and ethnically diverse coalition.
Vietnam: As first mentioned on this blog last year, Vietnam continues to crack down on political dissidents. For example, the U.S. educated human rights lawyer, Le Cong Dinh, with 3 others, was charged and convicted, in a one day trial, of “attempting to overthrow the government”, which amounted to supporting human rights and a multi-party political system. In reality, that mean probably mean the eventual “overthrow” of the government as single party rule would end, which in itself is a violation of the Vietnamese constitution, which is simply an affirmation of party hegemony.
