Prosecutors insist on death sentence for pro-IS cleric

Prosecutors at the South Jakarta District Court have refuted Aman Abdurahman’s defense plea and insisted that judges hand down the death sentence on the radical cleric for his alleged role in several terror attacks.

“We beg your honor [judges] to reject all pleas presented by Aman Abdurahman and his lawyers,” prosecutor Anita Dewayani read out her response in front of the panel of judges on Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com.

She said Aman had been proven guilty of violating Article 14 of Law No. 15/2004 on terrorism.

Aman has been accused of inciting others to commit at least five terror attacks in Indonesia from 2016 to 2017, including the bombing and shooting near the Sarinah shopping area on Jl. M. H. Thamrin, also known as the Thamrin attack, in Central Jakarta in 2016, which left four people dead.

In a previous hearing, Aman admitted that he had encouraged more than 1,000 of his followers to travel to conflict-stricken Syria and become militants. However, he denied that he had instructed them to carry out attacks on their home soil.

Aman asserted his conviction that the government and its apparatus were infidels but claimed he had not ordered his followers to attack security personnel.

Aman denounced terrorist attacks in Indonesia, particularly those that involved children and women. Despite claiming he was not afraid to face the death penalty, he refused to be linked with recent terror attacks in Indonesia, perpetrators of which included a family of six. (fac/wit)