Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim charged over defying protest ban

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/22/malaysia-anwar-ibrahim-charged

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Prosecutors have charged the Malaysian opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, and two of his allies with breaking the law during a massive street rally to demand fair elections.

The men were charged in court with defying a ban against assembling at a public square in Kuala Lumpur last month and inciting demonstrators to breach a police barricade.

The three men, who pleaded not guilty, face a maximum jail sentence of six months and fines totalling 12,000 ringgit (£2,400) if convicted. The court scheduled a preliminary hearing on 2 July to determine further trial dates.

The charges could distract Anwar from preparing for national elections that many speculate will be held by September.

"It is clearly a politically motivated charge. Elections are around the corner," Anwar told reporters.

The charges are the first against Anwar after he was acquitted in January of sodomising a male former aide. The government has denied Anwar's claims that the sodomy trial was engineered to undercut an opposition alliance that made unprecedented inroads in 2008 elections.

The two others charged were Azmin Ali, the deputy president of Anwar's opposition People's Justice party, and party youth official Baharul Hisham Shaharin.

They were among tens of thousands of Malaysians who joined a rally on 28 April calling for an overhaul in electoral policies. Police used teargas and water cannon against demonstrators after some breached a barrier at a public square that had been declared off limits.

Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said the charges "don't inspire confidence that the Malaysian government is committed to protecting basic free expression rights".

The prime minister, Najib Razak, and other officials have accused the opposition of trying to create chaos at the rally, which was organised by opposition-backed civic groups. Some claimed Anwar and Azmin goaded peaceful demonstrators into charging at police.

If Anwar and Azmin are fined the maximum, they also risk losing their seats in parliament.

National polls are not due until 2013 but speculation has been rife that Najib will dissolve parliament soon. Najib's coalition, which has led Malaysia since 1957, has slightly less than a two-thirds majority after it suffered its worst electoral performance ever in 2008.

The rally's organisers had demanded the resignation of election commission officials, claiming they are biased. Demonstrators also wanted a cleanup of voter registration lists allegedly tainted with fraudulent names as well as fairer rules to ensure all parties are given access to mainstream media.

Government officials insist the activists' concerns are exaggerated. The election commission last week said it hoped to ease the criticism by potentially securing voting rights for one million Malaysians living overseas and inviting international observers to monitor the elections.