Court rejects cleric’s appeal

Gulf Times ^ | 8/7/05

[Valin]

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of militant Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, upholding his 30-month prison sentence for his part in the conspiracy behind the 2002 Bali bombings, a lawyer for Bashir said yesterday.
The appeal had been filed in late June after appellate judges at Jakarta High Court upheld a 30-month jail sentence handed down by the lower court in March. “The appeal was rejected, but we will pursue a judicial review of the case,” the aging cleric’s lawyer, Mahendra Data, said.

Data said he had been notified “verbally” on August 3 about the court’s decision, but was still awaiting the official letter.
Bashir’s lawyers had argued that last month’s high court ruling was based on false evidence, arguing that a police report alleging a conversation about the Bali plans between convicted bomber Amrozi, who is now on death row in a Bali prison, and Bashir was made up, and that the police dossier was fabricated.

On March 3, the South Jakarta district court sentenced Bashir to 30 months in prison after he was found guilty of involvement in an “evil conspiracy” that led to the October 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign visitors.
But the court cleared Bashir of the more serious charges that he violated anti-terror laws by planning or inciting the August 2003 blast at Jakarta’s J W Marriott Hotel, which left at least 12 people dead.

The lenient sentence sparked criticism from Western countries, in particular the United States and Australia, where Bashir is widely seen as the leader of the Al Qaeda-linked regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), blamed for a string of bombing attacks in Southeast Asia in recent years.
Bashir has consistently denied involvement in terrorism and says he’s being victimised because he campaigns for strict Islamic law in Indonesia. Bashir was first arrested a week after the Bali bombings on October 12, 2002 and was put on trial the following year.

Using the ordinary criminal code the court said there was not enough evidence to prove Bashir led JI, but the court, under intense international pressure, sentenced him to 18 months for immigration offences.
Police rearrested Bashir in late April 2004, immediately after being released from jail, and charged him with Indonesia’s anti-terror law passed in the wake of the Bali bombings.-DPA

[Enchante]

"On March 3, the South Jakarta district court sentenced Bashir to 30 months in prison after he was found guilty of involvement in an “evil conspiracy” that led to the October 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign visitors"

Glad they didn't accept his appeal, but how ridiculous is it that such scurvy-faced Islamo-fascists can get only 30 MONTHS for being part of a bombing conspiracy that kills 202 people????? 30 years would be a more appropriate minimum penalty, although I am of the opinion that until courts everywhere can give the death penalty to every terrorist we won't even begin to come close to dealing with this problem. Nice when the US military can give the "death penalty" to them from the air, but in a lot of cases we are going to be dependant upon the courts and laws of other countries, most of which are unbelievably SOFT.....squishy soft, if not outright collaborators with the terrorists.....

[SkyDancer]

I read where this girl (about 20 years old) had marijuana stuck in her baggage by persons unknown (she says) but anyway she got 20 years for that ...could have been hung but this creep gets 30 months???!!!

[Valin]

Glad they didn't accept his appeal, but how ridiculous is it that such scurvy-faced Islamo-fascists can get only 30 MONTHS for being part of a bombing conspiracy that kills 202 people????? 30 years would be a more appropriate minimum penalty,

Well put.