Indonesian radical Muslim cleric Bashir arrives in court

 

Indonesia's radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir attended an appeal hearing in a district court on Tuesday (January 12).

The 78-year-old, who was sentenced to a 15-year jail term in 2011, is asking for a reduced sentence due to failing health. Supporters of Bashir cheered as he entered the court room of Cilacap district court in central Java province, the town near notorious prison island Nusa Kambangan where Bashir is jailed. This is the first time Bashir has appeared in public in five years. Two hearings in Jakarta were cancelled earlier as under Indonesian law the defendant is required to be present before the court. Bashir was accused by western and regional intelligence officials of being the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah, a Southeast Asia militant group blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings and a string of other attacks in Indonesia.