( CNN ) Watching from the observers ' gallery last week , I could see Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim moving from hope , to exasperation and then finally to anger as the country 's highest court dismissed his defense team 's arguments against his sodomy conviction . After his appeal was denied on all counts , the sentencing hearing started -- and Anwar took the gloves off , declaring the incident was a `` complete fabrication '' and a `` political conspiracy '' and attacking the five Federal Court judges for becoming `` partners in the crime for the murder of judicial independence and integrity . '' The judges were n't having any of that , and abruptly stood up and walked out of the courtroom to deliberate in chambers on Anwar 's fate , leaving a stunned courtroom behind them . Anwar now faces five years in prison to contemplate the question that is on the minds of many Malaysians , which is how could a government get away with prosecuting a former deputy prime minister and the head of the opposition not once , but twice , for violating an archaic British colonial law against sodomy that has been invoked a total of only seven times since 1938 ? Has the Malaysian government so clearly lost the plot that even outside observers would recognize that the trial was blatantly political from day one ? Within minutes of the verdict being issued , the Malaysian government issued a polished statement proclaiming the country 's `` judicial independence '' and demanding `` all parties involved to respect the legal process and the judgment . '' In case anyone did n't get the memo , there is the rapidly growing crackdown on dissent and free speech in Malaysia led by the top police officer -- who patrols the Twittersphere like a shark in open water and tweets orders to the police to arrest lawyers , activists and politicians using the country 's draconian Sedition Act . A tweet by the cartoonist Zunar referencing `` lackeys in black robes '' has already landed him in court . This is supposed to be a big year for Malaysia , serving as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ) when the ASEAN Economic Community is to become a reality , and holding a seat at the UN Security Council . Malaysia is also a key partner in the US-driven Trans-Pacific Partnership ( TPP ) trade proposal that has gone to the top of the Obama legislative agenda , and it was Prime Minister Najib Razak who President Obama invited for a round of golf in Hawaii during the president 's Christmas holiday . Whether the political persecution of Anwar was raised on the course has yet to come out . But there is huge gap between Malaysia 's international engagements as a so-called `` moderate '' Muslim-majority nation and its domestic repression of opponents that sadly does n't usually garner much attention -- except in instances when Malaysia imprisons a figure like Anwar who is widely respected and known internationally . So few people know Najib 's government has been on a tear against his opponents since the 2013 elections , during which the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition lost the majority vote to the Anwar-lead Pakatan Rakyat coalition but maintained power because of gerrymandered election districts for parliamentary seats . Since then the government has been wielding the Sedition Act like a hammer , using its undefined terminology barring `` any seditious words '' or `` seditious tendency '' that would `` bring into hatred or contempt or excite disaffection against any Ruler or against any Government . '' In the past two years , more than a dozen senior politicians and activists have been dragged into court for saying or tweeting things the government did n't like , and a number have fled overseas to seek asylum -- and the list is going to keep growing . Najib affirmed at the 2014 congress of the United Malays National Organization ( UMNO ) party that he leads that he 's planning to strengthen the Sedition Act further when the Parliament reconvenes in March . Crackdowns on peaceful assemblies , restrictions on the media , censorship of books and films , and targeting of ethnic and religious minorities are also on the rise in Najib 's Malaysia . Shaffee Abdullah , the same UMNO lawyer brought into as a special prosecutor in Anwar 's case also serves as Malaysia 's representative to the regional human rights body , the ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights ( AICHR ) , and asserts how he has prevented any discussions of LGBT rights there . Malaysia is brewing a heady concoction of authoritarianism and intolerance that should be setting off alarm bells in world capitals like Washington , London , Berlin , and Brussels . Anwar 's conviction last week may be a new low for the Malaysia government 's rights record , but it should not be seen in isolation from the growing intolerance for civil and political rights emanating from Putrajaya . The wider international community -- be it Malaysia 's allies , foreign business investors , and the United Nations -- should wake up and recognize that the Malaysian government is changing and not for the better . It 's time to support Malaysia 's human rights defenders , and recognize that if the world wants a democratic , rights-respecting Malaysia , it 's going to have to fight for it .
Opposition leader loses appeal against sodomy conviction , jailed for five years . The government denies the case was political , saying the judiciary is independent . HRW : Malaysia is brewing a heady concoction of authoritarianism and intolerance .