T

he Bekasi District Court sentenced the suspended leader of the Bekasi branch of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), Raya Murhali Barda, to five-and-a-half months in jail on Thursday.

The verdict will allow Murhali to be released from jail next week.

The court’s panel of judges found Murhali guilty of violating Article 335 on misconduct in the Criminal Code and handed down their five-and-a-half-month sentence. Prosecutors had sought six months for Murhali.

The judges found him not guilty of violating Article 170 on battery and Article 160 on spreading hate.

On Sept. 12 of last year, Murhali was accused of attacking a reverend of the Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (HKBP) Church, Luspida Simanjuntak, and congregation member Hasian Sihombing after a long-simmering conflict between church members and local Muslims who objected to the church’s
construction.

Hasian was stabbed in the abdomen while Luspida was struck on the head with a wooden plank, according to witnesses and police reports.

The panel of judges said Murhali had no role in the violence because he was not at the scene when the attack took place.

Shortly after the attack, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono condemned the violence and ordered the police to investigate.

Eight of Murhali’s accomplices also received the same sentences.

Responding to the verdict, HKBP attorney Saor Siagian said he was very disappointed with the light sentence.

“We are very upset with the verdict. This is an insult to the victims and their families,” Saor said.

Saor said the verdict could encourage others to engage in similar violence against minority groups.

“If a person could be sentenced to only seven months for stabbing others, the verdict could encourage others to commit even more violent acts,” he said.

Rights activists were quick to condemn the light sentence.

“The verdict is a reflection of a condition in which our court system shares the same view as the government in playing down criminal problems fueled by religious issues,” National Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) coordinator Usman Hamid told The Jakarta Post.

Usman said he suspected the panel of judges in the case were ill-informed about human rights issues.

“I believe the panel of judges had no idea about Indonesia having ratified the Civil Rights Covenant, which outlaws war and propaganda in the name of religion,” Usman said.

Usman said Murhali’s lenient sentence would not discourage hard-line groups from perpetuating violence against minority groups.

Human rights activist Hendardi from the Setara Institute harshly criticized the court, saying it had conspired with the criminals to infringe on the basic rights of HKBP members.

“The victims have been punished further by the court and this could set a precedent for judges throughout the country,” he said.

“This verdict will also embolden the stance of hard-line groups in the country and encourage them to commit more violence in the future,” he said.