VOA News, 30 Jan 2003, 08:53 UTC
Indonesian Court Acquits Laskar Jihad Leader
Patricia Nunan, Jakarta
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An Indonesian court has acquitted the leader of a militant group suspected of inciting
violence between Muslims and Christians in eastern Indonesia. Jafar Umar Thalib was
the leader of the group Laskar Jihad and the first militant leader to be brought to court
in Indonesia.
Supporters of Jafar Umar Thalib shout Allahu Akbar, or "God is great," as a judge
declares that the militant leader is free to go.
Justice Mansur Nasution ruled that prosecutors failed to prove any of the charges
against the defendant.
Mr. Thalib was the leader of Laskar Jihad or "The Holy War Force." He faced a year in
prison on charges he incited his followers to commit violence against Christians in a
speech he made in a mosque in the city of Ambon last year. He was also accused of
insulting President Megawati Sukarnoputri in the same speech.
Mr. Thalib's trial opened in the Indonesian capital Jakarta last August. He maintained
that the charges against him were politically motivated.
He says that since the beginning of the police investigation and throughout the trial
there has been a lot of pressure on him. He says even the witnesses were pressured.
Human rights groups have charged that Laskar Jihad intensified the long-running
conflict between Muslims and Christians in the eastern province of Maluku when the
group deployed there three years ago. Thousands of people have died in fighting there.
Mr. Thalib is the first Indonesian militant leader to be brought to trial. Some political
analysts see his trial as a test of the government's willingness to crackdown in
extremist leaders in the wake of the devastating bomb attack on Bali last October.
More than 190 people were killed in the attack, which police say was carried out by
Jemaah Islamiyah - a regional extremist group suspected of having links to the
al-Qaida network.
The Laskar Jihad was disbanded last October - shortly after the Bali bombing. At the
time, Mr. Thalib denied he was under pressure from authorities to halt the group's
activities.
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