RI defends Ba'asyir verdict

RI defends Ba'asyir verdict

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Playing down international criticism, the Indonesian government
claimed on Wednesday that the four-year jail sentence handed down
to cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir manifested the country's commitment
to combating terrorism.

"Some parties may be disappointed with the verdict, which was
more lenient than had been expected, but he has now actually been
punished," Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda
told reporters.

Hassan asserted that the verdict should be perceived by the
international community as a sign that the Indonesian government
was making serious efforts to fight terrorism.

"We have the courage (to bring people to trial) and we have
shown that we are really battling terrorism," he said, adding
that the prosecutors' failure to prove that Ba'asyir headed the
Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terror group was not the real issue.

"JI or not, if anyone or any group is involved in terrorism,
we will take action against them and take them to court," he
said.

Referring to the arrest of dozens of people allegedly involved
in terrorism since the Bali blasts last year, Hassan said
Indonesia, unlike other countries, did not arrest terror suspects
without bringing them to trial.

In the Bali bombing trials, the court had sentenced a
defendant to death, while the prosecution had demanded death for
another two suspects.

The Central Jakarta District Court sentenced Ba'asyir on
Tuesday for his involvement in a plot to overthrow the
government. The judges said, however, there was insufficient
evidence to prove that the cleric headed JI, which has been
blamed for a series of terror attacks in the country over the
past few years.

The sentence was much less than the prosecution's request for
15 years.

Foreign reaction was mixed to the verdict, with Australia,
which lost 88 citizens in the Oct. 12, 2002, Bali bombings,
expressing concern, calling the verdict "too lenient".

But Hassan asked the Australian government not to be
disappointed with the verdict as the prosecution could still
appeal the sentence.

"The verdict is not final, so it is too early to say that the
verdict is too lenient," said Hassan.

Separately, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) said it would
need a week to decide whether it would appeal the verdict.

Shortly after the judges delivered their verdict, Ba'asyir
sought leave to appeal his four-year jail sentence.

Vice President Hamzah Haz expressed a firmer stance against
those criticizing the verdict, warning foreign countries not to
meddle in Indonesia's internal affairs.

"Foreign countries should not pronounce negative comments on
the decisions of our courts. They must respect Indonesian law,"
Hamzah said as quoted by Antara news agency on the sidelines of a
visit to the Central Java town of Brebes.

Meanwhile, Muslim scholar Azyumardi Azra said the verdict sent
the police a message that they needed to improve their
professionalism if they wanted to prove that Ba'asyir was the JI
leader and was involved in the acts of terrorism that had been
plaguing the country.

Despite allegations that Ba'asyir was the JI leader, the
National Police said on Wednesday they would not seek new
evidence to prove the accusations, citing the prohibition on
double jeopardy, which provides that a person may not be brought
to trial on the same charges twice.

Sr. Comr. Zainuri Lubis, the National Police's deputy
spokesman, said it was up to the prosecutors to appeal or seek
new evidence against Ba'asyir.

Meanwhile, well-known Indonesianist Jeffrey Winters, a
professor at Northwestern University in the United States, said
the contrast between the Bali prosecution and Ba'asyir
prosecution highlighted the shortcomings of Indonesia's legal
system.