Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has filed a defamation
lawsuit against a former aide who accused him of sodomy. As Chad
Bouchard reports from Jakarta, he has left the Turkish Embassy grounds
after seeking refuge there for two days.
Anwar Ibrahim left the embassy compound, saying the government had taken steps to insure his safety.
He
sought refuge there Sunday, claiming that sodomy charges against him by
a former aide were politically motivated and that he feared for his
life. He did not seek political asylum, but previously said he would
not leave until the government could guarantee he would not be harmed.
Lawyers for Anwar also filed a lawsuit accusing the 23-year-old former aide of libel and filing a false police report.
The
incident strongly resembles events in 1998, when Anwar was convicted on
similar charges and sacked as deputy prime minister. Those charges
have since been overturned.
Anwar told reporters in a press
conference that the new charges were a conspiracy by the ruling Barisan
government to discredit him politically.
"I believe we are
witnessing a repeat of the methods used against me in 1998 when false
allegations were made under duress," he said. "This is clearly a
desperate attempt by the Barisan national regime to arrest the movement
of the Malaysian people towards freedom, democracy, and justice."
A
political analyst from Malaysia's Monash campus, James Chin, says the
developments have aggravated growing political turmoil. He says no
matter what the outcome, Anwar is likely to gain from the accusations.
"Assuming
the worst happens, that is the government or the police charge him for
sodomy, he will get a lot of sympathy from a lot of people and a lot of
people do not believe the story that he is actually involved in such a
thing," he said. "If the government do not charge him for sodomy, he
will also get a lot of publicity out of this and he will also get a lot
of sympathy from people who feel that he is being persecuted by the
government."
A sodomy conviction carries a 20-year prison term in Malaysia.
Anwar
led a coalition that gained significant ground during general elections
in March. He has promised to oust the ruling party by September this
year.
