Ba'asyir sues prosecutors

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