马来西亚法庭判安瓦尔鸡奸罪不成立

Malaysia's high court has acquitted opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of sodomy charges. The judge ruled Monday that the DNA used by prosecutors as evidence was not reliable. The judge also said there was not enough corroborating evidence proving that Anwar had sex with a former male aide. Homosexuality is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia. Anwar faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted.

Anwar told reporters the verdict frees him to focus on trying to topple Prime Minister Najib Razak's long-ruling coalition in this year's general elections. Anwar is a former deputy prime minister who was forced to resign in 1998 after his conviction on an earlier sodomy charge. The Supreme Court later threw out that verdict. Anwar has denied all the sodomy charges, saying his chief political rival, Prime Minister Najib Razak, concocted them. The prime minister denies the allegation.