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| Southeast Asia |
| Laskar Jihad leader acquitted |
| 2003-01-30 |
| Jakarta Post The East Jakarta District Court acquitted on Thursday cleric Ja'far Umar Thalib over charges he incited hatred in Maluku islands. "The defendant has been proven not guilty and must freed of all charges," presiding judge Mansyur Nasution said before the hearing. The leader of the now-defunct Laskar Jihad was accused of inciting hatred against the government in a speech he delivered early last year in Maluku, which has been highlighted by Muslim-Christian violence. Prosecutors had sought a 12-month jail term for Ja'far for the offense, which carries the maximum penalty of seven years in jail. But since he's an Islamist cleric, the court let him walk... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |