RI defends Ba'asyir verdict, points finger at U.S.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
As foreign countries protested the 30-month prison sentence given
\nto Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, Indonesia said on Friday the verdict
\nshould be respected and that the U.S. could have strengthened the
\nprosecution against the cleric by giving Jakarta access to other
\nterror suspects.<\/p>\n
\"The (verdict) was quite appropriate because it was clearly a
\nmatter fully within (Indonesia's) judicial process.\" Minister of
\nForeign Affairs spokesman Marty Natalegawa said.<\/p>\n
\"The Indonesia government, from the beginning, has always
\nadopted a position of respecting the (independent) judicial
\nprocess.\"<\/p>\n
Marty said it was important that the United States had refused
\nto allow Indonesian law enforcers to directly question top terror
\nsuspect Hambali, whose information might have reinforced the
\nprosecution against Ba'asyir.<\/p>\n
Hambali, an alleged senior operative of both Jamaah Islamiyah
\n(JI) and Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda, is being held by U.S.
\nauthorities at a secret location following his arrest in Thailand
\nin August 2003.<\/p>\n
\"Our view is that it is better for them to invest in this
\nlegal process by, for example, giving the Indonesian government
\naccess to Hambali,\" Marty was quoted by AFP as saying.<\/p>\n
The South Jakarta District Court on Thursday sentenced
\nBa'asyir for his involvement in an \"evil conspiracy\" that led to
\nthe Bali bombings but cleared him of more serious charges of
\nplanning terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n
The governments and politicians in the United States,
\nAustralia and New Zealand said they were disappointed with the
\nverdict, which they believed was too light.<\/p>\n
\"We believe these results are not commensurate with Ba'asyir's
\nculpability,\" U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher
\nsaid, adding that prosecutors had produced \"substantial evidence
\nwhich we found convincing\" against the cleric.<\/p>\n
Australia urged Indonesian prosecutors to appeal the term.<\/p>\n
Ba'asyir's lenient sentence stirred a political row in New
\nZealand on Friday, with the government rejecting a demand to
\nrecall its ambassador from Jakarta in protest.<\/p>\n
Although Foreign Minister Phil Goff, who is overseas,
\nreportedly called the sentence \"unfortunate\" and said it would
\nleave many people disappointed, acting foreign minister Marian
\nHobbs issued a statement saying: \"New Zealand has welcomed the
\ncommitment of the present Indonesian government to bring to
\njustice those responsible for terrorist acts.\"<\/p>\n
\"We will continue to encourage Indonesia in this respect,\" she
\nwas quoted by DPA as saying.<\/p>\n
The demand to recall Ambassador Chris Elder came from Don
\nBrash, leader of the conservative opposition National Party.<\/p>\n
However, at home many Indonesians see Ba'asyir as a victim of
\nU.S. pressure in the war on terror and remain uncertain of his
\nguilt.<\/p>\n
\"I have said that I am totally different with Ba'asyir in the
\nway we understand religion, but this is a legal issue,\"
\nMuhammadiyah chairman Ahmad Syafii Maarif told Reuters.<\/p>\n
\"I hope that the appeal will find Ba'asyir innocent and his
\nname will be rehabilitated.\"<\/p>\n
Indonesian experts meanwhile expressed concern that the
\nverdict would not have deterrent effect on terrorists.<\/p>\n
\"There are advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that
\nthe court did finally convict Ba'asyir. The disadvantage is that
\nthe verdict is too lenient, which would not create deterrent
\neffect on other terrorists,\" said Insp. Gen. (ret.) Ansjaad Mbai
\nof the antiterror desk at the chief security minister's office.<\/p>\n
However, Begi Hersutanto of the Center for Strategic and
\nInternational Studies (CSIS) said that whatever the verdict, it
\nwould not affect the growing phenomenon of terrorism.<\/p>\n
Whatever the laws were or the penalties, they wouldn't stop
\npeople putting bombs in minivans or buses, Begi said.<\/p>\n
Ansjaad urged the government to improve Antiterror Law No.
\n15\/2003, arguing that it was the \"softest\" law against terrorism
\nin the world.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-defends-baasyir-verdict-points-finger-at-us-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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