Bashir Sentenced to 15 Years

June 16, 2011




Firebrand cleric Abu Bakar Bashir was sentenced to 15 years for recruiting and encouraging people to carry out terrorism activities.

“Abu Bakar Bashir is convicted of violating the article 14 of the law against terrorism,” presiding judge Herri Swantoro said. The verdict was lighter than the prosecutor's demand of a lifetime sentence.

Bashir's supporters, both inside the court room and outside at the court's parking area, shouted 'Allahu Akbar' ('Allah is Great') as the verdict was delivered. Some of them cried. "God will avenge this injustice," a female supporter said.

At a previous hearing, the prosecutor said that Bashir was not guilty of recruiting and encouraging terrorist acts, but accused him of raising funds for a paramilitary camp in Aceh that police believe served as a training ground for militants to carry out attacks on government assets and state leaders.

After the verdict was delivered, Bashir stood up and told the judge that he opposed the sentencing.

"This verdict is unfair because this is based on laws that are made by infidels, not based on sharia. It is haram (forbidden) for me to accept the ruling," Bashir said.

Most of the supporters were members of the Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT), a group founded by Bashir.

Over the course of the trial, several key followers and members of the JAT were presented to the court to confirm the accusations.
Believing they had proven that the cleric incited people to raise funds for the Aceh camp, prosecutors demanded he be sentenced to life imprisonment.

But prosecutors had to drop other serious charges, including illegal possession or smuggling of arms and explosives and the use of violence to terrorize people, because they could not be proven in court.

The story is developing.

(according to the JG)

Cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has been jailed for 15 years for inciting acts of terrorism under the Anti-Terrorism Law, despite the charge carrying the death penalty.

Under the Indonesian justice system principle of “Subsidaritas,” the alternative charges of terrorism fund raising, which carries a life sentence, and arms possession, which carries the death penalty, were dropped because they were deemed not necessary to be proven given Bashir had been convicted of incitement.

If Bashir had been found not guilty of inciting terrorism, the alternative principle would have applied and the cleric would have been judged on the fund raising charge.

Jakarta Globe