European Parliament Voices ‘Grave Concern’ Over Religious Violence in Indonesia

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European Parliament Voices ‘Grave Concern’ Over Religious Violence in Indonesia

July 08, 2011

The European Parliament has chimed in on incidents of religious persecution in Indonesia with a resolution that expresses “grave concern” over the recent string of attacks against Christians and Ahmadis, according to a religious rights group.

The resolution, released on Friday, details “grave concern at the incidents of violence against religious minorities, particularly Ahmadi Muslims, Christians, Baha’is and Buddhists … at the local blasphemy, heresy and religious defamation by-laws, which are open to misuse.”

The resolution also calls for the revision or repeal of the 2008 Joint Ministerial Decree prohibiting the dissemination of Ahmadiyah Muslim teachings, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

Mitro Repo, a Finnish member of the European legislative body, said: “While Indonesia’s national ideology ‘Pancasila’ has been a great example of enshrining pluralism, cultural harmony, religious freedom and social justice, there is a deep concern that the blasphemy, heresy and religious defamation by-laws are open to misuse. Such laws do not have a place in a state that truly respects human rights and engages in an open dialogue with its civil society.”

The past few years have seen continued acts of violence against Ahmadis in Indonesia, culminating in the killing of three sect members by a mob in Cikeusik, Banten, in February.

And Christians in Bogor have been locked out of their own church by that city’s administration in defiance of a Supreme Court order. Tensions in that city between members of the GKI Tasmin Church and hard-line Muslims led to the stabbing of two church elders last October.

The resolution follows similar moves by legislative bodies in the United States, United Kingdom and Sweden highlighting the violent persecution of religious minorities in Indonesia.

CSW’s special ambassador Stuart Windsor said: “We hope that this resolution, taken together with the actions in the UK and Swedish parliaments, will increase the pressure on the Indonesian government to take firm action to protect Indonesia’s religious minorities from violent attacks.

“We urge the Indonesian government to uphold the nation’s proud tradition of religious pluralism, freedom and harmony enshrined in the country’s guiding philosophy of ‘Pancasila’, to promote peaceful co-existence between different religious groups, and to combat religious extremism and violence.”

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/european-parliament.../451745

Activists Cry Foul at ‘Lenient’ Prosecutors in Ahmadiyah Trial

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Activists Cry Foul at ‘Lenient’ Prosecutors in Ahmadiyah Trial

Elisabeth Oktofani & Chrestella Tan | July 08, 2011

A video grab showing the attack on members of the minority Ahmadiyah Islamic sect in Pandeglang, Banten province, on February 6. Activists on Thursday decried sentence demands of less than a year for those on trial over the attack. (Photo courtesy of Human Rights Watch)

Rights activists expressed outrage on Thursday over the light jail terms sought for suspects in the deadly attack on Ahmadiyah followers in Banten in February, saying such leniency would not deter future violence.

“There is a lack of seriousness from law-enforcement officials in handling sectarian clashes, and this could pose a danger to national unity,” said Bonar Tigor Naipospos, the deputy chairman of the Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy.

His remarks came shortly after prosecutors at the Serang District Court in Banten recommended sentences of between five and seven months for 12 defendants accused of having a role in the Feb. 6 attack in Cikeusik subdistrict. Three followers of Ahmadiyah, a minority Muslim sect, were killed in the attack and five more were seriously injured.

“The seven-month demand is really weak,” Bonar said. “This was because the prosecutors saw the case as a spontaneous incident instead of a systematic attack.

“More than that, pressure from outside groups during the trial was also a factor in the weak sentencing demand. The state failed to provide adequate protection for prosecutors and judges during the trial.”

He was referring to the defendants’ vocal supporters who have crowded the courtroom throughout the trial. Bonar said trials involving sectarian clashes needed the same high level of security provided for terrorism cases.

The prosecution was also criticized by activists for failing to charge the defendants with incitement of hatred, which carries a heavier maximum punishment.

“The prosecutors didn’t prepare the sentencing demand based on the evidence and the magnitude of the crime,” said Haris Azhar, the executive director of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).

“They should have seen this as a very serious case because [the attack] occurred because of hatred spread by certain groups of people,” he said.

“It is clear to see that there is a lack of courage and ability on the part of the prosecutors to bring the hatred issue to trial, while [inciting hatred] is a very serious and important issue.”

The defendants have been charged with crimes ranging from provoking violence to assault. Still, the lesser of the charges, provocation, allows punishment of up to six years in jail.

Meanwhile, prosecutors have said the sentencing recommendation was light because the group of 25 Ahmadis involved in the incident was believed to have played a part in provoking the attack.

Prosecutors said the evidence showed members of the banned sect not only provoked the riot, but also filmed it and distributed the videos.

Sentences of seven months were sought for 10 defendants, while sentences of five and six months were sought for two others during the marathon hearings in Serang, the capital of Banten.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/activists-cry.../451544

Prosecutors Ask for 5-7 Months for Defendants in Cikeusik Ahmadi Attack

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Prosecutors Ask for 5-7 Months for Defendants in Cikeusik Ahmadi Attack

Jakarta Globe | July 07, 2011

In February, 2011, a mob of about a thousand attacked a house that sheltered 25 Ahmadiyyah members; killing three and severally injuring five in Cikeusik.

Prosecutors entered relatively light sentencing demands on Thursday for 10 participants believed to have roles in the deadly mob attack on a group of Ahmadiyah sect members in Cikeusik, Banten, earlier this year.

The defendants, charged with crimes ranging from provoking violence to assault, received sentence demands in the five to seven-month range — far below the maximum of six years for the lesser charge of provocation.

Prosecutors said the sentencing requests were fairly light because they believed that the group of 25 Ahmadis had played a part in provoking the attack.

The attack, which was filmed and posted on YouTube, saw a mob of about a thousand attacking a house that sheltered 25 members of the minority Islamic sect. Three Ahmadis were killed and five were seriously injured in the violence.

Prosecutor M. Yunis said the sentencing demands were lighter due to evidence that showed that members of the banned sect were systematically provoking riots.

Two other defendants, both under 17-years-old, were still awaiting sentencing demands.

Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/prosecutors-ask.../451435