Malaysian politician slams sodomy charges

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Monday called sodomy charges against him "pathetic" but said his opposition coalition is making plans for the future should he be convicted or die.

Anwar told an audience at Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies that no medical evidence supports charges that he sodomized a 24-year-old male former aide last year.

"There is no way can I be convicted if you go by the facts," he said. "This is pathetic."

Although he expressed optimism about the future, he said the opposition must plan for a possible conviction or his death because Malaysia is dealing with "semi-authoritarian rule."

Anwar leads a three-party opposition alliance that has made big electoral gains over the past year. - + selanjutnya

Malaysian politician slams sodomy charges