[Congressional Bills 106th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H. Res. 658 Introduced in House (IH)] 106th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 658 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES October 27, 2000 Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Lantos, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Royce, Mr. Abercrombie, and Mr. Wexler) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations _______________________________________________________________________ RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Whereas on September 2, 1998, Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed dismissed Deputy Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim; Whereas, reportedly as a result of political disagreements, Dato Seri Anwar was arrested on September 20, 1998; Whereas when Dato Seri Anwar appeared at his arraignment, he told the judge of the severe mistreatment he sustained on his first night of detention; Whereas Dr. Mahathir suggested that Dato Seri Anwar inflicted the injuries on himself in order to gain public sympathy; Whereas on September 29, 1998, Dato Seri Anwar was formally charged with nine counts of corruption and sexual misconduct, including four sodomy counts, to which another count was later added; Whereas the vague nature of the charges, as well as the fact that several of the Government's witnesses recanted, cast serious doubt on the validity of the charges, which appear to have been fabricated to discredit Dato Seri Anwar; Whereas on April 19, 1999, Dato Seri Anwar was convicted on four counts of corruption and sentenced to six years of imprisonment; Whereas on August 8, 2000, Dato Seri Anwar was convicted of sodomy and sentenced to an additional nine years in prison; Whereas both trials were marred by serious irregularities, including-- (1) the refusal of the trial judge to allow representatives of news media to be present when testimony favorable to the defense was being given, (2) the imposition by the judge of a national ``gag order'' prohibiting any Malaysian citizen from discussing the guilt or innocence of Dato Seri Anwar, (3) the changing by the prosecution of the dates on which the alleged incidents of sodomy were said to have occurred, after learning that the building where the incidents allegedly happened had not yet been built and again after learning that Dato Seri Anwar was not in the country on the revised date, and (4) the admission by the trial judge of a ``voluntary'' confession from a witness who had reportedly suffered severe physical and psychological abuse at the hands of the police before giving his confession; Whereas the Governments of Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and other nations, as well as the European Union, have condemned the Malaysian Government's actions in this case; Whereas international organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch consider Dato Seri Anwar to be a prisoner of conscience; Whereas the United States Department of State Human Rights Report of 2000 highlights the irregularities surrounding Dato Seri Anwar's trial and the continued deterioration of the judiciary in Malaysia; Whereas the imprisonment of Dato Seri Anwar represents a breakdown in democracy and the rule of law in Malaysia; and Whereas the Government's actions in the case of Dato Seri Anwar represent a breakdown in democracy and the rule of law in Malaysia, and thus damage the international reputation of the Malaysian Government, and have the potential to harm relations between the Government of the United States and the Government of Malaysia: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that-- (1) the Government of Malaysia should provide Dato Seri Anwar with due process of law either by offering him a new trial under fair and transparent procedures or by dismissing all charges against him; and (2) all Malaysians should be allowed to exercise their fundamental right to peaceful expression of political opinion, without fear of arrest or intimidation, and should be afforded due process of law in all cases. <all>