The sodomy trial of the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim finally began on Wednesday afternoon with a heavy police presence outside the Kuala Lumpur High Court and crowds of Mr. Anwar’s supporters cheering him on. There had been no shortage of drama at the court on Tuesday, on what was to have been the first day of Mr. Anwar’s trial on charges that he sodomized a former campaign worker. Mr. Anwar, a former deputy prime minister, said he planned to subpoena the incumbent prime minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, and his wife.
Facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted, Mr. Anwar, 63, said he had evidence that his accuser, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, visited the prime minister and his wife shortly before he made the complaint in 2008.
“We have evidence that he was involved,” Mr. Anwar said, referring to the prime minister. “He met Saiful two days before the report was lodged to the police.”
The charges against Mr. Anwar were read to him in court at 3:34 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the Malaysia Star, which was live-blogging from the courtroom. The newspaper said Mr. Anwar responded that the charge was “malicious in intent.”
Mr. Saiful, 25, took the stand about 15 minutes later, but his testimony was interrupted around 5 p.m. and court was adjourned until Thursday. His further questioning “will be in camera due to sensitivity of the testimony,” the paper reported.
Mr. Anwar was convicted of sodomy and abuse of power in an earlier case, in 1998. Although the sodomy conviction was later overturned, he spent six years in prison. He argues that the new charge is another attempt to end his political career.
The trial had been scheduled to start Tuesday after months of delays.
However, the court was adjourned in the morning after the defense filed an application for a review of an earlier decision that the prosecution would not have to make evidence available to the defense in advance.
Amnesty International and other human rights groups have condemned the current case as a “show trial,” saying that the charges are “politically motivated.”
If convicted, Mr. Anwar would be barred from holding political office for five years from the date of his release from prison. But Mr. Anwar has said that his People’s Alliance, which comprises three parties, has a contingency plan to name a successor. New York Times
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