Barisan Alternatif Youth leaders today warned that if former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim were to be moved back to prison from the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (KLH), the authorities will find themselves facing a mass protest.

The Youth leaders told a press conference at the Keadilan headquarters in Petaling Jaya today that Home Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was abusing his powers by ordering that Anwar be returned to the Sungai Buloh Prison "in a matter of days".

"If that happens, then we will mobilise the public to voice our strongest protest," said Keadilan youth leader Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor.

He added that the public were aware of their rights and were willing to fight to uphold those rights.

Although Anwar has not been officially informed of his impending transfer from KLH where he has been warded since Nov 25 for chronic back pain, he heard from a very reliable source that it will be made within days, said Ezam.

Acting in spite

Yesterday, Anwar's lawyer Sankara Nair said Anwar will be moved into a smaller cell, which is tailor-made for him, in Sungai Buloh prison very soon. ([#1] Anwar to be moved to a smaller cell, lawyer claims [/#] Feb 5)

The Youth leaders, comprising Ezam, PAS' Mahfuz Omar, DAP's Teng Chang Khim and PRM's Faizal Sanusi, said in a joint statement that the removal of Anwar from the hospital was inhumane and a breach of human rights.

They said that they will report this matter to the Human Rights Commission.

They claim that Abdullah, who is also deputy prime minister, is being spiteful by ordering Anwar be sent back to the Sungai Buloh prison.

Abdullah had also instructed prison authorities to ransack Anwar's cell in his absence, they said, adding that this is obviously an action that does not respect Anwar's right to privacy as established in the Federal Constitution.

Right to medical treatment

Ezam also said that Abdullah should stop pressuring the hospital authorities from doing their duties in giving treatment to Anwar.

"The instruction to have Anwar removed from the hospital back to the cell is political interference in the hospital administration," said Ezam.

"The doctors from the hospital had agreed that Anwar needed back surgery and it is illogical to have him back at the prison even before the surgery is done," he added.

Yesterday, Anwar's family and lawyers rejected any move back to the prison as it will not give Anwar his needed round-the-clock treatment.

Sankara said the arrangements for the smaller cell were made following a visit made by the home minister's political secretary Othman Desa and another official to the Sungai Buloh prison on Jan 22.

However, a Home Ministry spokesman has denied the visit to the prison was specifically related to Anwar, adding that it was a general visit.

"Despite denials by them that the visit was to facilitate Anwar's removal from the hospital to the prison, we have information that they were there to oversee the setting up of this new cell," said Sankara.

Foreign specialist

Anwar is serving a total of 15 years after being convicted in separate trials of corruption and sodomy.

His family and lawyers say he needs to go through specialist endoscopic microsurgery which should be conducted overseas in a dedicated spinal centre. However, Abdullah said recently that according to expert opinion, the surgery could be performed in Malaysia.

This prompted Anwar's camp to seek permission from the government for a German expert in endoscopic microsurgery, which is a new surgery technique that allows for minimum risk to patients, to examine Anwar here.

The government has yet to approve this request.