The World Movement celebrates the release of Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia from prison. He was freed on May 16 after receiving a royal pardon. The pardon was filed on the basis of a “miscarriage of justice.” Due to what many believe were politically motivated charges, Anwar Ibrahim, former Deputy Prime Minister and opposition leader, faced three prison sentences and 11 years in jail. Ibrahim’s release immediately follows the elections in Malaysia last week, which resulted in a loss for the ruling party coalition that dominated Malaysia’s politics for 61 years.
Ibrahim spoke at the World Movement’s Fourth Assembly in Istanbul, Turkey, in April 2006, and the Sixth Assembly in Jakarta, Indonesia, in April 2010. In his opening address at the Jakarta Assembly, he said “We can make diversity in culture and religion a source of strengthen and richness, and the shared history of oppression and political enslavement a further impetus to solidarity. The flame that fires the passion for freedom and democracy must not be left to flicker, let alone die out. To keep it burning, we must remain resolute in our conviction to fight for freedom and democracy and to defend it with courage, honor, and dignity.”