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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