RI asked to appeal Ba'asyir sentence

RI asked to appeal Ba'asyir sentence

AUSTRALIA: Australia is urging Indonesian prosecutors to appeal
to a high court in Jakarta to lengthen the 2 1/2-year prison
sentence given to the alleged spiritual leader of an al-Qaeda-
linked terror group, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told
parliament on Monday.

An Indonesian court last week convicted Abu Bakar Ba'asyir of
criminal conspiracy in the Bali bombings in 2002 that killed 202
people, including 88 Australians.

The U.S. and Australian governments contend that Ba'asyir is
the spiritual leader of Jamaah Islamiyah, the al-Qaeda-linked
group blamed for the Bali attack and for a series of terror plots
elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

"On the day the sentence was handed down, I instructed our
ambassador to make contact with Indonesian authorities and to let
it be known that we regarded that sentence as too short and hope
that the prosecution may consider lodging an appeal so that the
sentence ... can be lengthened," Downer told parliament.

Indonesian prosecutors have said they're considering an
appeal, but no decision has yet been taken.

"This is an independent legal system and we respect the
independence of the Indonesian courts and so we hope that the
prosecution will consider appealing to a higher court," Downer
said. --AP