Witnesses say Ba'asyir advocated peaceful means

Witnesses say Ba'asyir advocated peaceful means

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Contrary to earlier testimonies, witnesses told the treason trial
of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir on Tuesday that the Muslim cleric had not
advocated violence and acts of terror as a means of promoting his
own version of Islamic teachings.

Abdul Harris, who is a frequent companion of Ba'asyir from?
the Indonesian Mujahiddin Council (MMI), told the court that ever
since his acquaintance with the cleric he had never heard him
insult anyone or call for violence.

"In fact he advised us not to resort to violence, even if all
members of MMI intended to do so. He was always telling everyone,
whether MMI members or not, to be patient in facing injustice and
oppression from the government," he said.

He added that Ba'asyir interpreted jihad in accordance with
the Koran.

Harris was one of two witnesses presented by Ba'asyir's defense
lawyers on Tuesday.

The other, Hasyim, gave almost exactly the same testimony in
favor of the cleric.

Ba'asyir is standing trial for his alleged role in a plot to
overthrow the Indonesian government through acts of terrorism and
a murder attempt on Megawati Soekarnoputri before she assumed
power.

He is also allegedly the leader of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI)
terror network, which the police believe masterminded a string of
bombings across the country, including the Christmas Eve church
bombings in 2000 that left 19 people dead and the Bali blasts in
October 2002 that claimed 202 lives.

If the primary charges are proven, he could face a 20-year
jail sentence.

In previous hearings, Singapore- and Malaysia-based suspected
JI members recognized Ba'asyir as their leader and his role in
the acts of terror during their testimonies presented via
videoconferencing.

Later on Tuesday, the U.S. government turned down a request
from Ba'asyir's defense lawyers to present alleged al-Qaeda
member Omar al-Faruq at Ba'asyir's trial.

In letter to judges and the lawyers, charges d'affairs of the
U.S. Embassy in Indonesia Patrick Truhn said it was not
Washington's policy to present a detainee as a witness in a
criminal case overseas.

Ba'asyir's lawyers had asked the judges to order the
prosecutors to "take into account" an attempt to bring al-Faruq
to testify before the court. Al-Faruq is now being detained by
U.S. authorities.

"He is the source of all accusations against our client,"
lawyer Mahendradatta said.

Prosecutor Hasan Madani said earlier he had written to the
U.S. ambassador on July 10 to ask for his help to bring al-Faruq
to court, but had not received a reply.

Al-Faruq is said to have implicated Ba'asyir in terror plots,
including plans to bomb U.S. embassies in Southeast Asia. Prior
to al-Faruq giving his account, Indonesian authorities had still
to arrest Ba'asyir, citing lack of evidence.