Supreme Court reduction to free Ba'asyir in April
Supreme Court reduction to free Ba'asyir in April
M. Taufiqurrahman and Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta
Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, who is serving his sentence at Cipinang
Penitentiary, Central Jakarta, is likely to walk free next month
following the Supreme Court's reduction of his three-year
sentence to a retroactive 18-month term.
The reduction is effective immediately.
"The Supreme Court decided that the verdicts from the lower
courts were flawed, as the law was not properly applied," Central
Jakarta District Court bailiff Ridwan quoted from the 93-page
verdict.
The Supreme Court also annulled a high court ruling that said
Ba'asyir and cleric Abdullah Sungkar had set up regional terror
organization Jamaah Islamiyah (JI).
Ba'asyir, 65, is believed to be the spiritual leader of JI, a
UN-listed terror network linked with al-Qaeda. JI has been blamed
for a series of deadly bombings in the country, including the
October 2002 Bali blast and the Aug. 5, 2003, Marriott bombing in
South Jakarta.
The cleric had been detained since October 2002, but was
declared unfit to stand trial as he was hospitalized in
Surakarta, Central Java.
Also the head of Islamic boarding school Al-Mukmin in Ngruki,
Surakarta, he first stood trial in April 2003 on several charges,
including a 1999 plot to assassinate then-vice president Megawati
Soekarnoputri.
The Central Jakarta District Court handed down a four-year
sentence, finding him guilty of document fraud and immigration
violations. Last November, the Jakarta High Court reduced his
sentence to three years.
The Supreme Court's decision comes amid protests from the
cleric's supporters, who have long demanded his release, and
which intensified after the Supreme Court acquitted House Speaker
Akbar Tandjung of all charges in a graft case.
Separately, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirajuda played
down possibilities that the decision would have a negative impact
on the country's fight against terrorism.
"Our commitment is to capture anyone suspected of carrying out
terrorist acts, whether or not they are connected to Ba'asyir,"
he said.
Australia was the first to react to the verdict.
"My reaction, if it's (the verdict) true, will be one of real
disappointment," Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said as quoted
by DPA. "I know the Indonesian government was really concerned
about the three-year sentence ... that it was such a short
sentence, and were looking (to see) if they could do anything
about it, which they haven't been able to do."