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Abu Bakar Baasyir welcomes house arrest plan: Lawyer
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Staying firm: Terrorist convict Abu Bakar Baasyir (second right) signs his investigation dossier during his case review hearing at the Cilacap District Court in Central Java on Feb.9, 2016. (ANTARA FOTO/Idhad Zakaria)
Abu Bakar Baasyir, the leader Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT), says he is ready to serve house arrest.
Baasyir's lawyer, Guntur Fattahilah, said his client had never held a weapon before; hence, putting him under house arrest would not pose a danger to the public.
He said the government planned to move the cleric from prison to house arrest owing to health concerns.
“This is also considering that he is now 79 years old," Guntur said.
National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) deradicalization director Irfan Idris voiced concern about the plan, saying that Baasyir had never participated in a deradicalization program.
"His teachings are so flowery, that's what dangerous," he said, adding that Baasyir had always refused to participate in the deradicalization program offered by his agency.
The terrorist convict has been in prison for nearly seven years after being sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2012. The court found him guilty of funding a military training camp for a terrorist group in Aceh. Baasyir is still recorded as a prisoner at Gunung Sindur Prison.
However, he is reportedly receiving medical treatment at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Jakarta for swelling in his legs, possibly due to clogged blood vessels. (srs/ebf)
