Anwar getting best medical treatment, says Nur Jazlan
FORMER opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is receiving special treatment in prison, despite his family and supporters claiming otherwise.
Denying their allegations, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the government will cooperate with Anwar’s family to ensure he receives the best treatment for his medical condition.
“He received special treatment not accorded to other inmates. We hope his family will understand that the government has never neglected his health condition,” he added.
Nur Jazlan said this in response to a question by Nurul Izzah Anwar (PKRLembah Pantai) in the Dewan Rakyat.
Anwar is currently serving a five-year jail sentence at the Sungai Buloh prison for a sodomy conviction.
Dissatisfied with Nur Jazlan’s answer, Nurul Izzah, who is Anwar’s daughter, urged the government to put him under intensive physiotherapy.
Nur Jazlan said Anwar had been examined by three orthopaedic experts, including one appointed by his family.
“In the 38 weeks since he started serving his sentence, he has gone through 83 medical examinations,” he added.
Meanwhile, AFP reports that a United Nations body has claimed that Anwar has been jailed illegally and called for his release, according to a copy of the opinion released yesterday by his family.
The opinion by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that Anwar’s imprisonment was “arbitrary”, that he was denied a fair trial, and was jailed for political reasons.
It also said Anwar’s treatment in prison violates international prohibitions against “torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment”.
The Prime Minister’s office, in responding to the opinion, said in a statement the final verdict was reached by the courts after a comprehensive legal process over many years.
“Malaysia has an independent judiciary – with many rulings going against senior government figures – and the government does not have the power or authority to overrule the decisions of the courts,” it said, urging all parties to respect Malaysia’s legal process.