Indonesia Cleric jailed for 4 years in treason case ( 2003-09-03 09:12) (Agencies)
An Indonesian court jailed Muslim cleric Abu Bakar
Bashir for four years on treason charges Tuesday, but said the prosecution had
failed to prove he led the Jemaah Islamiah network blamed for bombings in
Southeast Asia.
Indonesian Muslim
cleric Abu Bakar Bashir points to his supporters as he leaves a Jakarta
courtroom after his verdict, Sept 2, 2003. An Indonesian court sentenced
Bashir to four years in jail on Tuesday for taking part in acts treason,
in a case widely seen as a test of the willingness of the world's most
populous Muslim nation to crack down on radical Islam.
[Reuters]
The prosecution had demanded a 15-year sentence. The case was widely seen as
a test of the willingness of the world's most populous Muslim nation to crack
down on radical Islam.
Risk and political analysts described the sentence as light and one predicted
it would make the United States think twice before handing over suspected Jemaah
Islamiah operational commander Hambali for trial in Indonesia.
Bashir, a 65-year-old preacher and educator who has repeatedly rejected all
charges against him, said he would appeal and urged his supporters to remain
calm.
"I cannot accept this, therefore I will appeal," he said soon after
sentencing, his voice rising.
"I ask you to remain orderly, and be careful of provocateurs from
America," he told his supporters who shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest).
The panel of five judges, relying heavily on his association with key members
of the militant Jemaah Islamiah group, convicted Bashir of participating in acts
of treason.
But judges rejected a central part of the prosecution case when they ruled he
had not necessarily led the group or plotted to topple Indonesia's secular
government.
"The panel has an opinion that Abu Bakar Bashir has not been proven as the
leader of Jemaah Islamiah," said presiding judge Muhammad Saleh.
Officials link JI with Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda, the group blamed by
Washington for the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
"Members of Jemaah Islamiah conducted actions which the defendant, Abu Bakar
Bashir, had knowledge of. Moreover, he approved several actions, including
military training in the Southern Philippines and Afghanistan," Saleh told the
court.
Investigators have also linked the group to last October's Bali bomb blast,
which killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists, and a car bomb attack on
a Jakarta hotel that killed 12 people on August 5.
"SLAP ON THE WRIST"
Ken Conboy, head of RMA Indonesia, a Jakarta-based security risk company,
described the verdict as a "bit underwhelming."
"I think a lot of people, they were looking at this as a litmus test to see
how serious the government was. Four years, considering he'll probably get
(time) off for good behavior, is more or less a glorified slap on the wrist," he
said.
Zachary Abuza, a counter-terrorism specialist at Simmons College in the
United States and an expert on Jemaah Islamiah, said Washington would not be
pleased.
"The Americans are going to be very angry," he said. "I think it really might
make the Americans pause when they think about turning over someone like Hambali
to them."
While Indonesian authorities have been vigorous in their pursuit of Bali
bombing suspects -- one of whom has already been sentenced to death -- none has
the public profile of Bashir.
Bashir was charged with treason linked to church bombings that killed 19
people three years ago and an aborted plot to kill President Megawati
Sukarnoputri when she was vice president.
"Based on the facts, we can conclude every JI action needs the blessing of
the defendant as its emir (chief)," prosecutors said when they asked for the
15-year sentence.
At no stage, however, was Bashir, who repeatedly denounced the trial as a
set-up and denied all knowledge of Jemaah Islamiah (JI), directly implicated in
the Bali bombing or the Jakarta hotel blast.
Supporters of Bashir, who has campaigned openly for the establishment of
Islamic law in Indonesia, crammed into the court and milled about outside at the
start of the day.
Police with water cannon stood by.
Bashir, wearing a white cap and shawl over a black jacket and a sarong, urged
supporters before proceedings began to stay calm.
"Believe me, we will win, as long as we uphold God's law," he said into a
microphone when the panel of judges allowed him to make a statement. His
supporters dispersed peacefully after the hearing.
