JAKARTA, 15 June 2006 — Indonesian leader Abu Bakar Bashir walked out of a Jakarta jail yesterday after serving time for links to the 2002 Bali bombings, calling on jubilant supporters to join forces for the spread of Islamic law.
Australia’s prime minister said millions of his citizens would be extremely disappointed because of the release and a US Embassy spokesman said there was cause for concern.
Wearing his trademark white cap and red-and-white checked shawl as he emerged from prison, a smiling Bashir said: “Let us strengthen Islamic brotherhood. We strengthen our unity for one aim — that is Islamic Shariah (law).”
Indonesia and other nations that “have been in darkness” could be saved by adherence to Islamist precepts, he said. Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
Bashir was surrounded by supporters shouting “Allah-o-Akbar” (God is Greatest) before entering a black van for a long drive to his Islamic school, once dubbed the “Ivy League” of militants.
Seen by the West as the spiritual head of the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah (JI) regional militant network, Bashir was convicted of being part of a conspiracy behind the Bali bombings that killed 202 people, many of them Australian tourists.
Southeast Asian and Western authorities blame the group for the Indonesian resort island attack and other strikes.
In Australia, Prime Minister John Howard told Parliament: “I want (Indonesia’s politicians) to understand from me, on behalf of the government, how extremely disappointed, even distressed, millions of Australians will be at the release.” Brian Deegan, whose son Josh was one of 88 Australians killed in the Bali attack, told Sky television: “The cleric received a penalty that did not fit the crime.”
“Abu Bashir really is to us what Osama Bin Laden was to the Americans.” In Jakarta, US Embassy spokesman Max Kwak said: “When Bashir was sentenced in March of last year, we were deeply disappointed that a person convicted of a ‘sinister conspiracy’ was given such a short prison sentence.”
But Indonesian authorities said Bashir’s jail sentence and release were dictated by courts.
“If the court has decided a fitting punishment for Bashir, we cannot interfere,” said Primo Alui Joelianto, director general for Asia-Pacific and African affairs at Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry.
“We know and the Australians should know the laws have been supported by Parliament and the majority of our people.” Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng said the release did not mean Jakarta was wavering in the fight against terrorism, as “anyone who commits acts of terrorism will be eradicated.”
Some analysts say militants could use Bashir’s release to revive Jemaah Islamiah, which police say has become decentralized with factions splitting off and operating independently. “The perception among security forces is that the release may help consolidation moves as they (JI) have been torn,” said University of Indonesia analyst Andi Widjajanto.
