“Defamation.”
Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim does not appreciate being called gay. The opposition leader, who fled Malaysia this week over an alleged assassination attempt, filed a defamation lawsuit against a former assistant who accused him of sodomy. Ibrahim faced similar rumors in 1998, when the then-deputy PM was thrown in jail after being accused of sodomy. Those charges were later overturned. Ibrahim’s wife called the latest allegations a form of “political murder.” [Telegraph]
FWIW, Ibrahim has been jailed in the past on what were widely regarded outside Malaysia as trumped-up charges.
Given Malaysia’s homophobia, sodomy charges are used to discredit political opponents of the government. So it’s not just a case of simple homophobia part of Ibrahim (who’s actually has been a democratic reformer, who needless to say isn’t real popular with Malaysia’s autocratic leaders).