Indonesian’s Conviction on Treason Overturned

An appeals court has overturned the treason conviction of Abu Bakar Bashir and reduced his sentence from four years to three -- a key victory for the best-known Islamic radical in the world’s largest Muslim country.

However, defense lawyer Achmad Michdan on Monday denounced the court’s decision to uphold a conviction on lesser charges of forging identity documents and said his client would appeal to the Supreme Court.

The 65-year-old cleric was arrested shortly after the October 2002 bombings of a pair of Bali nightclubs as Indonesia faced international pressure to crack down on extremism. A court in September convicted him of treason for involvement in a plot to overthrow the government. He was cleared of the main charge of heading Jemaah Islamiah, an Al Qaeda-linked Southeast Asian terrorist group.

The verdict and light sentence were criticized by foreign governments that say Bashir is the spiritual leader of the group. Jemaah Islamiah has been blamed for the Bali attacks, which killed 202 people, and an August hotel bombing in Jakarta that killed 12.

“It’s clear that these treason accusations were not proven,” Bashir told reporters Monday at his Jakarta prison. “This is only a political matter, and I’ve understood that from the beginning.”

The Jakarta High Court made its decision last month, but it was made public Monday.

A court official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was not enough evidence to support the charge.

The ruling could reignite criticism that Indonesia was treating Bashir too leniently. The cleric is the most visible proponent of Islamic militancy in Indonesia, though he has repeatedly denied any involvement in terrorism.

Michdan said the remaining conviction -- for entering Indonesia in 1999 with forged papers -- should also be overturned.