Court dismisses Ba'asyir's lawsuit

Court dismisses Ba'asyir's lawsuit

JAKARTA: The South Jakarta District Court dismissed on Monday
a lawsuit filed by Abu Bakar Ba'asyir against the Jakarta
Prosecutor's Office for detaining him.

Ba'asyir, believed to be the chairman of Jamaah Islamiyah, a
regional group the United Nations has placed on its list of
international terrorist organizations, has been charged with
treason, planning to assassinate President Megawati Soekarnoputri
and immigration violations.

"The court dismisses the plaintiff's lawsuit and declares that
the detention of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir was legal," said Tursani
Jafrie, who presented the verdict in the court on Monday.

The court also ordered Ba'asyir to bear the cost of the trial.

Ba'asyir's lawyers have sought his release.

Police allege that Ba'asyir was responsible for a string of
church bombings in 2000, and plan to file charges of attempting
to overthrow the government against him soon.

Authorities expect to bring Ba'asyir to trial by the end of
next month. If found guilty, Ba'asyir would face a maximum
sentence of 15 years in prison. --Antara