Showing posts with label Sucide bombings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sucide bombings. Show all posts

Friday, March 11, 2011

The Latest Trial of Abubakar Ba'asyir

Yesterday, the Council of Judges of the South Jakarta District Court rejected the request of the Defendant Abubakar Ba'asyir for exception to charges, therefore allowing the trial of the fanatic cleric to proceed.

During the first session of trial at the Court last February, the prosecutor indicted him of inciting others to commit terrorism, a crime that carries a death penalty. previous trial session.

Ba'asyir denied all links to any extremist activity - he maintains he is a spiritual, religious leader and that he has been unfairly accused. 

He and his lawyers said that the Prosecutors' charges against him were “vague”, “unclear”, “careless” and “incomplete”, and had requested that they be annulled.

During the era of the late President Suharto, Abubakar Ba'asyir was arrested for non-recognition of the Indonesian national ideology Pancasila which promotes religious pluralism, and refusal of his school to salute the Indonesian flag which signified Bashir's refusal to recognise the authority of a secular Indonesian state.

In 1985 Ba'asyir fled to Malaysia where he lived in exile, and returned to Indonesia after Suharto stepped down from power in 1998. 

In 2003, he was charged with treason, immigration violations, and providing false documents and statements to the Police. The charges were related to the 2000 Christmas Eve bombings against Christian churches, which killed 18 people. The Court found him not guilty of treason, but was found guilty on the immigration violations. He was sentenced to three years in prison, but the sentence was reduced to 20 months due to his good behavior in the prison.

In 2004, he was arrested by the Police and charged with involvement in the suicide bombing on the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta on August, 2003, which killed 14 people, and in the 2002 Bali suicide bombing, which killed 202 people. The Court found him guilty of conspiracy over the 2002 suicide bombing, but not guilty of charges surrounding the 2003 suicide bombing. He was sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment, but was later cut by 4 months and 15 days.  And on 14 June 2006, he was released. 

Friday, July 17, 2009

The latest Bombings in Jakarta

This morning, Jakarta has been devastated by 2 bomb explosions, first at 7.47 am at the J.W Marriot Hotel, followed by louder blast 5 minutes later, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel located accross the street.

The media reported 9 people killed and more than 50 people wounded. But according to the Police Hospital where dead victims were sent for autopsy, they have actually received 12 body bags from the incident.

Meanwhile, National Police Chief Bambang Danuri said that the explosions were ignited by two suicide bombers, whose decapitated heads were found at both places. A Police spokesman said that the bombers may have disguised as guests of the hotels, which can be seen from the explosives found in room no. 1808 of JW Marriot Hotel which are the same as the ones they found when they captured terrorists in Cilacap, Central Java 2 days ago.

Earlier, President Susilo Bambang Yudoyono (SBY) condemned the bombings and said that he has inteligence reports about people who are dissapointed with the presidential election. Those people were involved in the killing and the dissapearance of people in the past but never been prosecuted. He quoted those people as saying that SBY should not win the election otherwise they will take actions to hinder SBY's re-election ceremony.
SBY also show some photos of 2 terrorists holding pistols aiming at SBY's photo. In this regards, the National Police Chief explained that the photos were taken last May in East Kalimantan, and the terrorists have been arrested.

In reaction to SBY's allegations, two Presidential candidates i.e. incumbent Vice President Jusuf Kalla and former President Megawati and her running mate Prabowo denied that the bombings have link with the elections. They also condemned the bombings as crime against humanity.

For details regarding the bombings, please click here, here, here, here and here.

As the effect of the bombings, British soccer club Manchester United, who have booked to stay at the Ritz Carlton, has cancelled their match in Jakarta next Monday. Further, foreign countries have condemned the bombings, and governments of Australia, Singapore, U.S have warned their citizens about the danger of travelling to Indonesia.

To the families of the victims, I would like to express my condolence and symphaty. And to those who are involved in the planning, financing and execution of the bombings, I condemn each and everyone of you for your Barbaric, Cowardice and Inhuman actions, no matter what your reasons are. I also hope that the government especially the Police and the National Inteligence Agency (BIN) would do their very best to investigate this case so that those who are responsible can be identified, prosecuted & punnished.