ABC AUSTRALIA, 02/12/2003 21:09:18
Indonesian prosecutors to appeal Bashir ruling
Indonesian prosecutors say they will appeal against a High Court decision clearing
radical Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir of treason and reducing his prison sentence
from four years to three.
The court upheld a conviction on lesser charges for Bashir, 65.
However, the central Jakarta Prosecutors Office says it is convinced Bashir is guilty of
treason, and an appeal will be lodged with the Supreme Court.
The cleric, who was arrested after the 2002 Bali bombings, was cleared at his earlier
trial of the main charge of heading the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) extremist network.
Bashir's lawyers say the defence team is likely to counter the prosecutors with an
appeal of their own, demanding that all charges be dismissed.
JI is accused of a string of bomb attacks across South East Asia, including the
October 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people, and the bombing of the Marriott
Hotel in Jakarta in August, which killed 12 people.
02/12/2003 21:09:18 | ABC Radio Australia News
© 2001 Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
