But once the journalists were inside, armed security personnel quickly surrounded Aman, blocking him from their view. A scuffle ensued, which prompted presiding judge Akhmad Zaini to call for order and — citing a suggestion from the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) — bar television reporters from broadcasting the sentence hearing live.

“No live coverage, including with mobile phones, is allowed [...] The press will be allowed time to record footage before the hearing starts and when the verdict is being read,” judge Zaini said.

A number of journalists were allowed to enter the courtroom only after they left their mobile phones outside, while others were forced to delete their footage after security personnel discovered they had been recording the hearing.

The KPI had called on the court to prohibit live coverage of the sentencing, fearing that statements Aman makes in court could be used to influence his followers.

“We are trying to prevent terrorists from inspiring members of the public to carry out attacks, particularly because [Aman] is considered a figurehead among terror networks. We don’t want excessive exposure from the media,” KPI commissioner Mayong Suryo Laksono told The Jakarta Post, pointing out that the cleric’s trial had already received excessive media coverage.

Aman, an Islamic State (IS) ideologue who described Indonesia as a country of infidels for not implementing Islamic Law and has urged his followers to destroy democracy, is widely believed to be the de facto leader of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), a local affiliate of IS.

As the group’s figurehead and spiritual leader, he inspired more than 1,000 followers to go to Syria to become IS militants.

The panel of five judges at the South Jakarta District Court found Aman guilty of instigating at least five deadly terror attacks across Indonesia over the course of two years.

These include the 2016 shooting and suicide bombing on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta, the Kampung Melayu twin suicide bombings in East Jakarta in 2017, the 2016 Samarinda church attack in East Kalimantan that killed a toddler and an attack against a police post in Medan, North Sumatra in 2017.

In his defense statement, Aman declined to be associated with the attacks and denounced suicide bombings that involved women and children. He was referring to a spate of suicide bombings in Surabaya, East Java, that took place in May and involved entire families.

Aman called perpetrators of the attacks ignorant and crazy.

At the time of the Surabaya attacks, the cleric was serving a nine-year term on maximum-security Nusakambangan prison island in Central Java for separate terrorism cases. However, he still managed to stay in contact with JAD’s top leaders.

Judges rejected Aman’s claims and maintained that his teachings had been interpreted as an order to carry out terror attacks.

“His claim is invalid because a key witness, Abu Gar, testified that Aman had delivered a message from IS, ordering followers to carry out amaliyah [operation] that can spread chaos and panic,” one of the judges Irwan said, referring to a term often used by extremist groups to mean an attack.

Aman’s teachings have been made available in various forms, including writings and mp3 files, and are easily accessible on the internet; they have inspired his followers to launch attacks, the judge added.

Soon after the court read the verdict, Aman, who claimed that the charge against him was politically motivated, dropped to his knees and kissed the floor.

The cleric said he accepted the verdict and gestured to his lawyers in a signal for the latter not to file an appeal.

Popular

Kadin urges stability after Constitutional Court ruling

Jokowi says transition to new government to begi

BCA loan disbursement surges 17.1 percent yoy in first quarter