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Lengthy prison terms sought for former IS fighters

Prosecutors in West Jakarta sought on Tuesday prison terms of up to eight years for six men suspected of having joined or supported the radical Islamic State (IS) movement in Syria and Iraq

Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, February 3, 2016

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Lengthy prison terms sought for former IS fighters

P

rosecutors in West Jakarta sought on Tuesday prison terms of up to eight years for six men suspected of having joined or supported the radical Islamic State (IS) movement in Syria and Iraq.

In a hearing at the West Jakarta District Court, prosecutor Suroyo called on a panel of judges to sentence 47-year-old Tuah Febriwansyah, also known as Fachry, to eight years in prison and a fine of Rp 50 million (US$3,636) for distributing information on radicalism and encouraging people to join the IS movement online.

'€œThe defendant should be sentenced to eight years, including the time already spent in detention. Furthermore, he must pay a fine of Rp 50 million, or serve an additional six months in prison if he fails to make the payment,'€ the prosecutor said on Tuesday.

Febriwansyah has been accused of creating the radical site al-mustaqbal.net, where he uploaded information about the Muslim world, focusing mostly on the latest developments in the Middle East, and also encouraged readers to join IS and establish an Islamic caliphate.

The prosecution said his actions violated articles 15 and 7 of Law No. 15/2003 on terrorism and articles 28 and 24 of Law No. 11/2008 on electronic information and transactions.

The prosecution also demanded prison terms for his accomplices, saying defendants Abdul Hakim, Ahmad Junaidi alias Abu Salman and Aprimul Henry alias Abu alias Mulbin Arifin should be given five-year sentences while Koswara alias Abu Ahmad and Ridwan Sungkar alias Abu Bilal alias Iwan should receive six-year sentences under Law No. 15/2003 and Law No. 9/2013 on terrorism funding.

The maximum sentence under the articles is life imprisonment.

Former drug convict Koswara has been accused of facilitating and funding IS supporters'€™ trips to Syria, alongside Aprimul who allegedly bought the plane tickets.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Junaidi, Abdul Hakim and Ridwan Sungkar have been accused of traveling to Syria with Salim Mubarok Attamimi, also known as Abu Jandal Al Yemeni Al Indonesi.

Junaidi once told The Jakarta Post that he returned to Indonesia in September 2014 because he felt tricked by Abu Jandal, who said there would be financial benefits for those who joined IS.

Prosecutors were also scheduled to read out their sentence demand for another terror suspect, Helmi Muhammad Alamudi, but the hearing was adjourned until Wednesday because of an administrative problem.

A report called Disunity among Indonesian ISIS supporters and the risk of more violence, published on Monday by the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), said Indonesians had been recruited in two streams because of a burgeoning rivalry between Abu Jandal and fellow Indonesian fighter Bahrumsyah alias Abu Ibrahim.

Another group of Indonesian fighters had also reportedly been recruited and transported by Bahrun Naim, who remains on fairly good terms with the other two.

However, since Turkish border controls have tightened, Indonesian IS leaders in Syria were expected to encourage more local attacks, especially following a fatal attack in Jakarta last month allegedly committed by the Partisans of the Caliphate (JAK) group, the report said.

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