Sodomy II: White House, Australia make statements

PETALING JAYA: The United States has released a statement on its official website (whitehouse.gov) saying it had "serious concerns" regarding the Federal Court's decision to uphold the guilty verdict and five-year jail sentence on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy.

"The decision to prosecute Mr. Anwar and the conduct of his trial have raised a number of serious concerns about rule of law and the fairness of the judicial system in Malaysia," said NSC (National Security Council) spokesperson Bernadette Meehan in the statement Tuesday night.

"The United States and Malaysia have built a strong 'comprehensive partnership', and we remain committed to expanding our cooperation on shared economic and security challenges affecting our countries' interests in Asia and globally.

"In that context, we urge the Government of Malaysia to apply the rule of law fairly, transparently, and apolitically in order to promote confidence in Malaysia's democracy, judiciary, and economy, said the statement.

The US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur had earlier released another statement on its website, saying it was "deeply disappointed and concerned" by the Federal Court's decision to uphold the Court of Appeal's March 7, 2014 decision and had conveyed to Malaysian officials that "fairness, transparency, and the rule of law are essential to promote confidence in Malaysia's judicial system and democracy."

The Australian Foreign Ministry released a similar statement on its website, saying that it had expressed its views to the Malaysian Government.

"As a friend of Malaysia, Australia encourages the Malaysian Government to consider the impact of recent decisions, including the Anwar verdict … on its international standing and its commitment to human rights," the statement said.