
Anwar held on sodomy charge
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has been taken to hospital after his arrest on sodomy allegations, and is believed to be undergoing a medical examination, his party said on Tuesday.
“We think that he’s being taken for a medical examination but we’re not sure,” said Tian Chua, information chief for Anwar’s Keadilan party which leads a three-member Opposition alliance. “I don’t think this is necessary. If you need a DNA swab you can do it up there (in police headquarters), you don’t need to take a man to hospital for a DNA swab,” he said. “This is a big game being played out.”
Chua said Anwar was in good spirits despite having spent the afternoon in policy custody where he gave a statement over sexual assault allegations levelled by Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, a 23-year-old former male aide.
“He’s quite cheerful. He’s fresh, relaxed and hoping this will be over soon,” he said. “We hope he’ll be released tonight but we don’t have any indication he will be released tonight.”
Saiful Izham Ramli, a member of Anwar’s legal team, also said he was unsure where Anwar would be taken after the hospital visit.
“We are not sure if they will release him tonight or hold him for further questioning,” he said.
Sodomy, even between consenting adults, is illegal in predominantly Muslim Malaysia and carries a penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment.
Police can detain Anwar for 24 hours, after which they must apply for a court order that would allow them to keep him for up to 14 days without charge.
About a dozen policemen, some of them wearing balaclavas, cordoned off the road leading to Anwar’s house and stopped his car, said his lawyer Sankara Nair.
He was bundled into a police car with dark tinted windows and driven to the police headquarters where
a crowd of opposition lawmakers including his wife Azizah Ismail gathered outside.
They were not allowed inside, and there was no trouble or violence. Azizah said Anwar called on her cell phone after being arrested.
“I feel apprehensive because my husband... is not that well. He has a bad back, he’s had surgery. And (during our) the brief conversation he said they (police) were not gentle,” she said.

Law enforcement officials brace for pro-Trump protests at state capitols

Explained: Why Kremlin critic Navalny faces immediate arrest in Russia?

Dutch PM Mark Rutte and his entire cabinet quits over welfare scandal
- The Netherlands is the third European country thrown into political uncertainty this week in the midst of the coronavirus crisis.

Brazil regulator to decide on emergency use of Sinovac, AstraZeneca vaccines

US military says its troop removal from Somalia is complete

Cargo ship sinks in the Black Sea; 3 dead, 6 rescued

Kamala Harris to resign from Senate seat on Monday ahead of Inauguration Day

Israel Prison Service to start vaccinating inmates, including Palestinian ones

Donald Trump pushed the limits of the US legal system: Here’s how it held up

Avoid 'absurd nonsense' about Tehran's nuclear work: Iran's Zarif tells France

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny takes off on plane to Russia despite arrest threat

1 Covid-19 patient getting admitted to hospital every 30 seconds: NHS chief

Europe seeks to ease vaccine concerns as virus curbs intensify

German minister says coronavirus curbs should be eased for vaccinated people
