(AFP) A human rights group today urged the government to free on bail jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.

"Anwar's denial of bail deserves to be reconsidered. The conditions that existed then which contributed to the rejection of Anwar's bail are no longer present," P Ramakrishnan, president of the Penang-based Aliran group said in a statement.

"Any decision to detain Anwar any further is certainly cruel and bereft of any humanity."

Anwar has launched a "one-meal-a-day" fast in protest after the attorney-general's office postponed for the third time his corruption appeal, which was due to be heard by the country's highest court on Jan 14.

The Federal Court this month set the date for the appeal after postponing a hearing on Nov 12 last year due to the poor health of one of the three panel judges. The first appeal hearing was set on Nov 12, 2000.

The appeal is the last legal avenue for Anwar to overturn his conviction and six-year jail sentence after the Court of Appeal dismissed his case in April 2000.

"It is totally unfair to delay Anwar's appeal and to prolong his incarceration. It appears that he is being punished when he has not exhausted all his legal remedies," Ramakrishnan said.

"His solitary confinement is an on-going punishment that he has to suffer."

US envoy

The rights group's remarks came as US ambassador Marie T Huhtala was quoted by malaysiakini, an Internet news website, Thursday as saying that Anwar had not received fair trials.

"We do not think that he had fair trials the two times he went to court. That could be corrected in the appeal process. We feel the trials were manifestly unfair," she said.

The former successor to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was convicted in April 1999 of corruption - abusing his powers to cover up allegations of sexual misconduct - and in August 2000 was jailed for another nine years for sodomy.

He has also filed an appeal against the sodomy conviction but no date has been set for the hearing. Anwar claims he was framed to prevent a political challenge to Mahathir, an allegation the government denies.