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MUI chief calls on Jokowi to grant clemency to Abu Bakar Baasyir
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Police officers escort terrorism convict Abu Bakar Baasyir to the Cilacap District Court, Central Java, in this file photo. (thejakartapost.com/Agus Maryono)
T
he chairman of Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Maruf Amin, has called on President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to grant clemency or a sentence reduction to radical cleric and terrorist convict Abu Bakar Baasyir due to his failing health.
“If possible, the President can grant him a clemency. But it’s up to him,” Maruf told reporters on Wednesday, as reported by tempo.co.
Baasyir has been in prison for nearly seven years after being sentenced to 15 years by the South Jakarta District Court in 2011. The court found him guilty of funding a military training camp for a terrorist group in Aceh.
The 79-year-old spiritual leader of Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid was initially locked up in a high security prison in Nusakambangan in Cilacap, Central Java. However, due to his declining health, authorities relocated him to Gunung Sindur prison in Bogor, West Java, in 2016.
Maruf also asked Jokowi to allow Baasyir to be admitted to hospital.
“I have expressed that to the President and his response was good,” he said without giving further details.
Meanwhile, presidential spokesman Johan Budi Saptopribowo refused to comment on the proposal, saying that he needed to confirm with the President first.
The Law and Human Rights Ministry granted Baasyir a third three-month sentence cut on Independence Day on August 17 last year.
The ailing radical cleric was admitted to Harapan Kita Hospital last year after developing swollen feet due to clogged blood vessels. (sha/rin)
