Radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir will be free to ‘preach hate’, Australia warns Indonesia
- President Joko Widodo’s move to release the 81-year-old is seen by some as an attempt to court the Muslim vote ahead of general election
At a hastily arranged press conference on Monday, Wiranto, a former general now serving in President Joko Widodo’s cabinet, said Bashir’s release would need to be considered in the context of Pancasila, the state ideology that stresses national unity despite ethnic and religious diversity, and the law. Bashir had become eligible for early release after serving two-thirds of his 15-year sentence, but he refused to sign a document stating he would be loyal to Pancasila, a requirement for his early release.
“The president instructs relevant authorities to immediately conduct a more thorough and comprehensive assessment of his release,” Wiranto said.
Bashir was not convicted for the Bali bombings but was sentenced to jail for 15 years under anti-terrorism laws in 2010 for links to militant training camps in the province of Aceh, on the island of Sumatra. He founded Jemaah Islamiah splinter group Jamaah Anshorut Tauhid, which in 2011 was blamed for a suicide bombing of a Christian church in central Java.