Jailed politician Anwar Ibrahim will file a high court suit next week to seek legal redress against the prison authorities for his temporary release from jail to undergo medical treatment for a slipped disc overseas.

His lawyer Sankara Nair told reporters this morning that he will file the suit at the Shah Alam High Court within a couple of days if Deputy Home Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi did not intervene in the matter soon.

"We are still waiting for the minister's reply. We will give him a couple of days more before we seek legal redress," Sankara said.

Anwar's family delivered a letter of appeal to Abdullah on June 27 to review Prisons Department director-general Omar Muhammad's rejection of Anwar's application to be temporarily released to undergo spinal surgery at a specialist spinal clinic in Munich, Germany.

The letter had stated that the former deputy premier would seek legal redress if no response was forthcoming from Abdullah within a week from its date of delivery.

Abdullah, who is also Home Affairs Minister, told malaysiakini on Tuesday that he had not seen the letter yet.

Anwar has been in custody since September 1998 and is serving a 15-year sentence at the Sungai Buloh prison for abuse of power and sodomy.

He was admitted to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital last November with a slipped disc, before being moved back to prison on May 10 after he rejected the government's offer of spinal surgery at the hospital.

Anwar insists he has a right to a less risky endoscopic spinal operation at the Alpha Klinik in Munich.

No special treatment

Sankara said today that his client's health is steadily deteriorating and his doctors have expressed serious concern that surgery could not be put off indefinitely.

"I say that his health is deteriorating steadily because he hasn't improved since his move back to prison.

"He was promised full conventional treatment in the cell, including heat treatment, physiotherapy, ultrasound, traction and medicine. However, he is only getting drugs and an exercise couch which I have not seen," he said.

Sankara added that Anwar was suffering apparent side effects from the long-term drug use and is on a wheelchair most of the time.

"He can only walk very slowly without the wheelchair. He wears a crib on his feet which are swollen.

"A hospital attendant monitors him every day but no neurosurgeon has treated him since his move back to Sungai Buloh. His regular doctor only visits him as and when he can," Sankara added.

He also stressed that Anwar was not receiving any "special treatment" and is in solitary confinement in a reasonably clean cell.

"There is no television, radio or newspapers for him in the cell. The only newspapers he reads are those that are brought in by us (his lawyers).

"He also eats the same meals as the other inmates. No outside food is allowed for him. His family visits are restricted to once every fortnight with no physical contact allowed. They speak to him through a telephone and a glass (shield)," Sankara said.

Support for Suhakam

Meanwhile, a number of foreign bodies have lent support to the long campaign waged by Anwar's family and supporters for him to have surgery in Germany.

The Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians from the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union and London-based Amnesty International today called on the Malaysian government to heed the recommendations made by the country's Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) and allow Anwar to pursue medical treatment of his choice.

Suhakam issued a statement on May 31 following a meeting with Anwar that, in view of certain sections of the Prisons Act, there were no prohibitions in the law for Anwar to be sent abroad for medical treatment.