Firebrand Cleric Bashir Files Second Case Review on Terrorism Verdict
Jakarta. Terrorism convict Abu Bakar Bashir will face the Cilacap District Court, Central Java, on Tuesday afternoon to launch a second attempt at overturning his 15-year prison sentence.
The move comes after the South Jakarta District Court quashed an earlier case review petition.
“If god is willing, [Bashir] will come to the case review [hearing],” the firebrand cleric's lawyer Achmad Midan said on Tuesday.
Bashir — known as the spiritual leader of the militant group Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian affiliate of al Qaeda, responsible for some of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Indonesia, including the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings — is now serving his time at the Nusakambangan Prison, close to the coastal town of Cilacap.
The cleric was in June 2011 convicted by the South Jakarta District Court on charges of raising funds for a jihadist training camp in Aceh. The Jakarta High Court cut his sentence to nine years on appeal, but the original 15-year sentence was reinstated by the Supreme Court.
Michdan said his client believed he deserves after a review as his earlier conviction was based on evidence which included a number of testimonies made via video conference — which he says violates judicial procedure.
Some 500 police officers have been deployed to guard the court as hundreds of Bashir followers gather in support, Okezone.com has reported.
Bashir is also the founder of the Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid, which is listed as a terrorist organization by security officials.
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