[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>