Bashir Sentence: Even Lighter
Charles Johnson
Wed Dec 3, 2003 at 7:59 am PST • Views: 177
Indonesia continues to feed the crocodile of radical Islam; Bali bombing mastermind and “spiritual leader” of Jemaah Islamiyah, Abu Bakar Bashir, has had his already scandalously light sentence reduced in Indonesia, from four years to three: Indonesia Court Cuts Militant’s Sentence.
JAKARTA, Indonesia - An appeals court has overturned the treason conviction of Abu Bakar Bashir and reduced his prison sentence from four years to three — a key victory for the best known Islamic radical in the world’s largest Muslim country.However, defense lawyer Achmad Michdan on Monday denounced the court’s decision to uphold a conviction on lesser charges of forging identity documents and said his client would appeal to the Supreme Court.
The 65-year-old cleric was arrested shortly after the 2002 Bali bombings with Indonesia under international pressure to crack down on extremism. A court in September convicted him of treason for involvement in a plot to overthrow the government. He was cleared of the main charge of heading Jemaah Islamiyah, an al-Qaida-linked Southeast Asian terror group.
The mixed verdict and light sentence were criticized by foreign governments who say Bashir is the spiritual head of the group, which has been blamed for the Bali attack, which killed 202 people, and an Aug. 5 hotel bombing in Jakarta that killed 12.
Frank says: