Bomb conspirator gets 3 years, five less than sought by prosecutor

Puji Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru

A defendant accused of assisting the perpetrators of the Pekanbaru Christmas Eve 2000 bombings has been sentenced to three years in prison, five years less than requested by the prosecution.

In the verdict of the Pekanbaru District Court, which was delivered by presiding judge Jahrul Rabiah in the Women's Hall on Jl. Pangeran Diponegoro, the court stated that the accused, Yoesfriyus bin Yunus, alias Datuk Raja Ameh, alias Muchtar, 60, had been proven beyond all reasonable doubt to have abetted the bombers of the Batak Protestant Church on Jl. Hangtuah in Pekanbaru on Dec. 24, 2000.

The panel of judges ruled that the suspect had knowingly conspired with a number of men who have since been convicted of terrorism, including Imam Samudra, Tony Togar, Mukhlas, alias Ali Gufron, Al Faruq and Iskandar.

"The accused has been proven to have pointed out and guided these men to the locations of a number of churches in Pekanbaru on Christmas Eve," said Jahrul. He added that the accused had violated the Criminal Code by not reporting the plot to the security authorities.

The lenient sentence handed down by the judges was based on two factors -- the accused had been cooperative during the trial and his age.

After the verdict had been read out, defense lawyer Muharnis said he would appeal. "My client is not guilty in the least. The evidence was clear, so why has he been convicted," asked Muharnis after the verdict had been read out.

Prosecutor D. Sitepu said that he would consider the judges' decision. "We will announce our plans after we have received a copy of the verdict," he said.

The Pekanbaru bombing killed at least two people and took place at almost the same time as bombings targeting churches across the country, in which a total of 19 people died.

The bombings are believed to have been the work of regional terror group Jamaah Islamiyah, which has been blamed for the Bali and Marriott bombings.