Ba'asyir sues prosecutors

JAKARTA: Lawyers for Abu Bakar Ba'asyir filed suit against the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office on Monday for extending the detention of their client, which they said was unlawful because the prosecutors had changed the charges.

Lawyer Achmad Midhan argued that new charges require a new detention warrant from the investigators, which is not under the prosecutor's office's jurisdiction.

"Our client is now being detained on criminal charges that differ from the charges earlier used in the investigation," he said after filing the lawsuit at the South Jakarta District Court.

Cleric Ba'asyir was arrested on Oct. 18, 2002 and detained on Oct. 20 for his alleged involvement in, among other things, the 2000 Christmas Eve bombings and the plan to assassinate prominent public figures, including then vice president Megawati Soekarnoputri.

The charges were changed on Feb. 28, when he was accused of treason, giving false statements and for an immigration violation.

The lawyers also filed suit against the police over the detention last year, but the court ruled against Ba'asyir. The Supreme Court on Feb. 6 upheld the ruling.

Midhan said the lawyers had yet to receive a copy of the Supreme Court's ruling, which they need to file for a review. -- JP