Ba'asyir sentence demand stands

Ba'asyir sentence demand stands

JAKARTA: Prosecutors reiterated their demand on Monday that
the Central Jakarta District Court sentence Muslim cleric Abu
Bakar Ba'asyir to 15 years in jail.

Chief prosecutor Hasan Madani told the court evidence was
solid to prove the defendant's guilt in subversion and violating
immigration law, such that he deserved to remain in jail for 15
years.

Ba'asyir, who chairs the hard-line Muslim group Mujahidin
Indonesia Council (MMI), had denied accusations of plotting to
assassinate then vice president Megawati Soekarnoputri in 1999,
which the prosecutors said was aimed at toppling the legitimate
government. He is also charged with immigration violation while
in exile in Malaysia.

Presiding judge Mohammad Sholeh adjourned the trial until
Wednesday. The judges are expected to announce the verdict next
month. -- JP