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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Malaysia's Anwar released on bail | Malaysia's Anwar released on bail |
| (39 minutes later) | |
| Malaysian police have released opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on bail after he was arrested over allegations of sodomy. | Malaysian police have released opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on bail after he was arrested over allegations of sodomy. |
| His lawyers said he had left custody, but could still face charges. | His lawyers said he had left custody, but could still face charges. |
| He spent a night in detention having been arrested by police for questioning over the allegations, on which he had been due to make a statement. | He spent a night in detention having been arrested by police for questioning over the allegations, on which he had been due to make a statement. |
| Mr Anwar urged his supporters to remain calm. He denies the allegations, saying they are politically-motivated. | Mr Anwar urged his supporters to remain calm. He denies the allegations, saying they are politically-motivated. |
| The former deputy prime minister is expected to hold a news conference at 1400 local time (0600 GMT). | |
| His arrest is likely to exacerbate the political tensions that have emerged since the opposition's unprecedented gains in the general election of March 2008. | His arrest is likely to exacerbate the political tensions that have emerged since the opposition's unprecedented gains in the general election of March 2008. |
| The 60-year-old has been in a tense stand-off with police since a former male aide accused him of sodomy two weeks ago. | |
| Sodomy, even between consenting adults, is a crime in Malaysia and is punishable by 20 years' imprisonment in the Muslim-majority country. | Sodomy, even between consenting adults, is a crime in Malaysia and is punishable by 20 years' imprisonment in the Muslim-majority country. |
| Intense pressure | |
| Mr Anwar's arrest will have been seen as provocative by Malaysian opposition groups, says the BBC's Robin Brant in Kuala Lumpur. | |
| When he was arrested on similar charges 10 years ago, his supporters staged large demonstrations. | |
| Anwar's supporters have not so far held large demonstrations | |
| They had promised to do the same this time but, so far, no big protests have taken place, our correspondent says. | |
| Only a handful of supporters gathered outside the police headquarters where he was held overnight, Reuters reports, despite calls by the opposition for a show of support. | |
| Mr Anwar has given a statement to police but refused to provide a DNA sample, the AFP news agency quotes his lawyers as saying. | |
| Under the bail conditions, he is required to report back to police on 18 August. | |
| Mr Anwar has said the allegations are part of a conspiracy to try to derail his efforts to bring down the government after his significant gains in the general election. | |
| The sodomy accusations came only weeks after Mr Anwar said he was in a position to launch a challenge to the ruling coalition, with the help of government defectors. | |
| The opposition leader made his claim at a time when Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi is already under intense pressure to resign over poor election results and high fuel prices. | |
| Mr Abdullah has said he will leave office in 2010, defying pressure to step down this December. |