The Jakarta Post, 9/6/2004 2:30:14 PM
Brawl erupts at Indonesian court as judges rule Ba'asyir
detention legal
JAKARTA (AFP): A brawl erupted at an Indonesian court on Monday after judges
ruled that the arrest and detention of alleged Jamaah Islamiyah head Abu Bakar
Ba'asyir was legal, clearing the way for his trial under tough antiterror laws.
Shortly after judge Syamsul Ali rejected the suit filed by Ba'asyir's lawyers against
police, one of scores of Ba'asyir supporters present at the South Jakarta District
Court tried to throw his sandal at the judges.
The incident led to a scuffle as a mob of supporters descended on police officers and
beat them up before boarding buses outside the court building.
Judge Ali ruled that the arrest and detention of Ba'asyir "was legal and made
according to the procedures", despite a ruling by Indonesia's top court which cast
doubt over charges used to hold the elderly cleric.
Ba'asyir was arrested in April as he stepped out of jail having served another
sentence. He was detained as prosecutors prepared to charge him for the October
2002 Bali bombings which killed 202.
But a ruling last month by Indonesia's Constitutional Court striking down the
retroactive use of an antiterror law introduced after the Bali attack left police struggling
to compile charges against him.
Lawyers argued that since the backdated use of the law had been revoked, Ba'asyir's
detention on a warrant linking him to the Bali blasts was now groundless.
But Ali said that the detention was "also based on other laws."
Police have since amended the charge sheet, principally tying Ba'asyir to an August
2003 attack on Jakarta's Marriott hotel that left 12 dead.
Ba'asyir denies terror links and was cleared by an appeal court last year of
involvement with the al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah, although he remained in jail
for immigration-related offenses.
Prosecutors have confirmed that Ba'asyir will appear in court charged with the Marriott
attack under the tough new antiterror law, which carries a possible death sentence.
(***)
All contents copyright © of The Jakarta Post.
|
