KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim does not fulfil the criteria needed to qualify as a political prisoner.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, in a written reply in Parliament today, said Anwar was found guilty of his offence by a court of law following a full trial which was free from executive and legislative interference.

Datuk Kamarudin Jaafar (PKR-Tumpat) had asked Anifah on the government’s stance regarding the condemnation of Anwar’s imprisonment as a political move by various international bodies including those under the United Nations (UN).

Anifah said the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), a body under the UN, comprised five individuals and therefore, their stance did not represent that of the UN’s.

He said their stand was not legally binding and the government has replied to their criticisms last year, and there was no basis for WGAD to claim that Anwar’s imprisonment was politically motivated.-nst