Jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim's supporters and friends worldwide have joined forces in a new campaign to pressure the government to release the jailed politician next April.

The 'Free Anwar Campaign on April 14, 2003' is expected to garner international support from world leaders and individuals concerned with his well-being.

The campaign was launched by Anwar's wife and Keadilan president, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail on Sept 20.

When contacted yesterday, campaign director Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin expressed confidence, saying he obtained positive reaction from several influential leaders and high profile individuals that he and other Keadilan leaders had contacted since early September.

His confidence was boosted by the campaign's first success the petition signed by 22 individuals from Indonesia, which included key politicians, academics, representatives from non-governmental organisations and the media.

The petition was supposed to be submitted to the government by prominent Indonesian human rights lawyer Dr Adnan Buyung Nasution (photo) but he was barred from entering the country.

His colleague later submitted the petition to Opposition Leader Abdul Hadi Awang who then forwarded it to the government.

Anwar is currently serving two separate sentences amounting to 15-years in prison for corruption and sodomy.

Next April, he would have served two-thirds of his six-year corruption jail term thus making him eligible for release.

Anwar has also filed an appeal against his sodomy conviction and this is pending at the Federal Court.

Lengthy explanation

Meanwhile, Raja Petra said the people they had approached were given a lengthy explanation on why Anwar should be freed on the specific date.

He claimed that after listening to the reasons, they agreed that there was nothing to stop the government from releasing the ex-deputy premier.

When asked for the identities of those involved in the international campaign, Raja Petra said the information was confidential.

"We have spoken to members of parliament in Australia both in the opposition and ruling parties who are willing to bend together as friends of Anwar.

"We also met other community leaders, retired ambassadors, NGOs who had discussed with the relevant people in the country on how to promote the campaign ," he said.

They have also communicated with the ex-deputy premier's friends in Japan, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, the European Union including Germany and Great Britain.

Raja Petra added that there is also a chance of gaining support from several religious leaders from Middle East countries.

"Basically these people would form a group and would issue a joint statement telling the Malaysian government: Enough is enough!

"Anwar was sent to jail and on April 14 he completes his sentence and there's no reason why he should immediately serve his nine-year jail sentence for a sodomy offence," he said.

20 reasons to free Anwar

Apart from that, Raja Petra said the campaign's foreign representatives have started distributing leaflets detailing 20 reasons why Anwar should be freed on the stated date.

The leaflets also contain a "flashback" on the events that led the former number two leader in Malaysia to be sacked, prosecuted and jailed.

Asked why there was little publicity on the campaign in Malaysia, he said at the moment they have to focus all their efforts on the international campaign to ensure that the Indonesian petition will not be their last.

"Our efforts for the Malaysian public is not very vigorous but we have been circulating the badges and leaflets, in Bahasa Melayu, Jawi and English," he said.

Raja Petra hoped that their campaign will gain momentum after Keadilan's coming annual general assembly at Sungei Petani, Kedah on Nov 23-27.

A briefing will be arranged to explain the campaign to the party's 2,000 branch representatives, who in turn, will organise their own little campaigns, he said.

"Based on the reasons and the international support we expect to receive, the government will have no excuse to deny Anwar freedom.

"We hope the government will play fair. Of course we dispute that the trial was a farce and that we do not acknowledge his conviction. But not withstanding that, we feel that on April 14, he has to be freed," he said.

Delay in appeal

Among the reasons stated in the campaign leaflet was that Anwar should not be punished in jail while awaiting the appeal against his sodomy conviction as the delay in fixing the date of appeal in not his doing.

It stated that a sodomy offence is a bailable offence and there is no reason for the court to deny him bail when bails are given for non-bailable offence like murder which carries the mandatory death penalty.

The reason fear of intimidating witnesses given by High Court judge S Augustine Paul to deny Anwar bail no longer applies as no witnesses were involved during the appeal stage.

It also stated that murder accused lawyer Balwant Singh was granted bail by Paul who among others considered his health and therefore Anwar too should be given bail since he requires urgent spinal injury that may result in permanent paralysis if not attended to soon