November 08, 2011
Convicted terrorist Abu Bakar Bashir has already seen his prison sentence slashed from 15 years to 9 years, and has now filed another appeal that could see him walk a free man.
Bashir’s lawyer, Achmad Michdan, filed the appeal with the South Jakarta District Court on Tuesday. If it is accepted, the appeal will be heard by the Supreme Court.
A district court in June sentenced Bashir to 15 years in prison for inciting terrorism and funding the radical Islamist group Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid in Aceh. His sentence was reduced to nine years in October after an appeal to the Jakarta High Court.
JAT members were allegedly planning deadly Mumbai-style terrorist attacks on Westerners and politicians.
Achmad said Bashir denied that he was involved in the Aceh case, or that the activities of the JAT constituted terrorism.
“If it is considered to be a case, he should have been prosecuted under the 1951 law on illegal weapons, not under the terrorism law,” the lawyer said.
Achmad said he was optimistic that his client would be freed on appeal.
Bashir was convicted of conspiracy in the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people but was cleared on appeal. He has also avoided guilty verdicts several times or been given light punishments or sentence reductions.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have filed their own appeal against the Jakarta High Court’s decision to cut Bashir’s prison sentence to nine years.
“We want a sentence in keeping with our sentencing demands,” prosecutor Nana Mulyana said.
According to some terrorism analysts, the court system is letting down the police in its attempts to eradicate home-grown threats.
(x the JG)
(If Abu Bakar gets off or another lengthy cut in jail time, it would be a trvesty of justice, and so says all of me siK>)
di 8 nov 2011 - 17:04