Last edited: September 06, 2004


A Victory for Rule of Law, Says US

The Star, September 4, 2004
http://thestar.com.my/

WASHINGTON: The United States government has welcomed the release of former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim declaring the court decision “a victory for the rule of law and the judicial process in Malaysia.”

“We hope that the medical treatment he is planning to undergo will restore Anwar Ibrahim to good health,” said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.

Anwar’s arrest, trial and jail sentence has always been a sore point in US-Malaysia relations.

“What I saw him saying on TV was that he thought that there was a removal of political influence, and that the court was therefore able to decide on the facts to release him. But I’d leave that to him.

“As far as the political factors involved, certainly we have repeatedly emphasised our concerns about his welfare, his situation, as well as the process that put him in jail,” said Boucher to questions about political influence in Anwar’s release.

Speaking at the daily State Department briefing, Boucher said that the State Department had not too long ago issued a statement reiterating their continuing concern and this was something they raised publicly and privately over the years.

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