Wednesday, 10 March 2004 |
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Top Indonesia court halves militant Bashir sentence JAKARTA, Tuesday (Reuters) Indonesia's Supreme Court has cut the jail term of Muslim preacher Abu Bakar Bashir, accused by authorites in the region of heading the radical Jemaah Islamiah group, to 18 months from three years, a court official said on Tuesday. "Correct. The sentence was lowered from three years to one and a half years that will later be reduced by the time spent," Moegihardjo, head of the crimes division at the Supreme Court, told Bashir supporters and reporters inside the court office. Based on time served, that could mean Bashir, serving time for immigration offences, will soon be freed. He was first detained on mid-October 2002. Moegihardjo gave no reason for the cut in sentence. One of Bashir's lawyers confirmed the decision. The decision comes ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections in the world's most populous Muslim nation, and is likely to please conservative Muslim voters who have accused the West of forcing Jakarta to get tough with radical Islamists.. |
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