The matter was confirmed by PKR Communications Director, Fahmi Fadzil who on Twitter today, wrote:
At Press time, the ‘free Anwar petition’ titled, 'Make the Release of Malaysian Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim from Prison a top priority for US police toward Malaysia' gained a considerable haul of 106,584 signatures which had exceeded the targeted 100,000 signatures before March 12.
Astro AWANI on Tuesday reported withdrawal of the petition, which at that time had attracted a staggering 100,000 people.
An attempt to contact the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur turned futile when officials reportedly refused to provide any statement on the matter.
No apparent reason stated for the temporary withdrawal.
The petition is addressed to the Obama Administration urging the President of the United States to secure the freedom of Anwar, who is currently serving his five years’ jail sentence for sodomising his former aide, Mohammad Saiful Bukhari Azlan in 2008.
The US had issued a statement expressing its ‘deep disappointment’ with Anwar’s conviction citing the decision to prosecute the seasoned de facto leader and the conduct of his long-drawn trial grave concerns pertaining Malaysia’s rule of law and the transparency of the country’s judiciary.
Following the statement, an online petition urging Anwar’s release circulated the social media.
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In a move viewed by many as a gesture of discontentment with the petition, a concerned citizen wrote a petition titled, 'Respecting the sovereign nation of Malaysia' addressed to the White House to stay away from interfering in Malaysia’s sovereignty.
“We peace-loving Malaysians urge that USA stop interfering in Malaysia's judiciary and rule of law,” the petition read.
