The Jakarta Post, 4/18/2004 3:26:05 PM
PKS stands behind Ba'asyir
JAKARTA (AP): A popular Islamic political party leader defended jailed militant cleric
Abu Bakar Ba'asyir on Saturday, claiming he was not a terrorist and should be freed
despite police linking him to the October, 2002 Bali bombings.
Hidayat Nurwahid, head of the Islamic-based Party of Justice and Prosperity Party
(PKS), also argued that foreign governments, including the United States, were wrong
to argued Ba'asyir should be kept behind bars.
"There is no evidence that justifies calling Ba'asyir a terrorist," Hidayat said after
visiting the 65-year-old cleric in jail Saturday.
"We are against arresting people like Ba'asyir without evidence," he said. "I'm here to
ensure that the law is enforced without intervention from another country."
On Friday, police officially declared Ba'asyir a criminal suspect, which allows them to
keep him in jail when his current period of detention ends later this month. Police said
they have enough evidence to charge him with terror crimes, including the Oct. 12,
2002, bombing.
The move will likely please Washington, which has urged Jakarta not to release
Ba'asyir, saying he is a leader of the regional al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah (JI)
terror group which has been blamed for the Bali blast and a series of other bombings.
Ba'asyir is in jail for minor immigration offenses after the Supreme Court cleared him
of earlier treason and terrorism charges. He is due to be released on April 30.
Ba'asyir has repeatedly denied the charges, saying the U.S. government is seeking to
punish him for criticizing America's treatment of Muslims and its Middle East policies.
Hidayat's party was one of the surprises of April 5 parliamentary elections. It garnered
a little more than 7% by playing down its Muslim credentials and campaigning on an
anti-corruption platform.
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