The case of Abubakar Ba'asyir
<p>The case of Abubakar Ba'asyir</p><p> Some 750 Muslims from various Solo-based Muslim institutions
and organizations staged rallies in Jakarta on Thursday.</p><p>Three of the rallies rejected the plan to execute the verdict
against Abubakar Ba'asyir while another was held in conjunction
with the hearing in which Ba'asyir filed a lawsuit against
Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew for accusing him of
being a terrorist.</p><p>The execution of the verdict against the Ba'asyir, an
executive of the Al-Mukmin Ngruki Muslim Boarding School in
Sukoharjo, Central Java, is related to a case in 1985. At that
time, the Supreme Court issued its ruling upholding the verdict
of the High Court, which gave Ba'asyir a nine-year jail sentence
for subversion.</p><p>Yet, before the verdict could be executed, Ba'asyir left
Indonesia. He then lived in Malaysia and Singapore for several
years and returned after the fall of former president Soeharto.</p><p>Strangely, the demand that the Supreme Court's verdict be
carried out surfaced recently after he had already been in
Indonesia for quite some time, when Singapore had accused him of
being a terrorist.</p><p>Yet, the Supreme Court chief, Bagir Manan, said that the
execution of the 1995 ruling was not limited by time.</p><p>The Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Yusril Ihza
Mahendra, stated that the government was considering granting a
pardon to Ba'asyir.</p><p>It would be prudent for the government to grant a pardon to
Ba'asyir immediately so that the energy of Muslims will not be
wasted on unnecessary things.</p><p>If there is anything of importance in the case of Ba'asyir, it
is his lawsuit against Singapore, now being processed in the
South Jakarta District Court. If Ba'asyir and his lawyer can
prove before the panel of judges that he is not guilty, it will
help improve the image of Indonesia as a country -- that it is
not a den of terrorists.</p><p> -- Republika, Jakarta</p>
and organizations staged rallies in Jakarta on Thursday.</p><p>Three of the rallies rejected the plan to execute the verdict
against Abubakar Ba'asyir while another was held in conjunction
with the hearing in which Ba'asyir filed a lawsuit against
Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew for accusing him of
being a terrorist.</p><p>The execution of the verdict against the Ba'asyir, an
executive of the Al-Mukmin Ngruki Muslim Boarding School in
Sukoharjo, Central Java, is related to a case in 1985. At that
time, the Supreme Court issued its ruling upholding the verdict
of the High Court, which gave Ba'asyir a nine-year jail sentence
for subversion.</p><p>Yet, before the verdict could be executed, Ba'asyir left
Indonesia. He then lived in Malaysia and Singapore for several
years and returned after the fall of former president Soeharto.</p><p>Strangely, the demand that the Supreme Court's verdict be
carried out surfaced recently after he had already been in
Indonesia for quite some time, when Singapore had accused him of
being a terrorist.</p><p>Yet, the Supreme Court chief, Bagir Manan, said that the
execution of the 1995 ruling was not limited by time.</p><p>The Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Yusril Ihza
Mahendra, stated that the government was considering granting a
pardon to Ba'asyir.</p><p>It would be prudent for the government to grant a pardon to
Ba'asyir immediately so that the energy of Muslims will not be
wasted on unnecessary things.</p><p>If there is anything of importance in the case of Ba'asyir, it
is his lawsuit against Singapore, now being processed in the
South Jakarta District Court. If Ba'asyir and his lawyer can
prove before the panel of judges that he is not guilty, it will
help improve the image of Indonesia as a country -- that it is
not a den of terrorists.</p><p> -- Republika, Jakarta</p>