JEMMAH ISLAMIYAH EMIR ABU BAKAR BA'ASYIR RELEASED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 007555 SIPDIS TERREP SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/IET AND S/CT DOJ FOR CTS THORNTON, AAG SWARTZ FBI FOR ETTIU/SSA ROTH E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2016 TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV KJUS KISL ASEC AS ID SUBJECT: JEMMAH ISLAMIYAH EMIR ABU BAKAR BA'ASYIR RELEASED FROM PRISON REF: A. JAKARTA 7398 WHAT'S NEXT FOR ABB JI? ¶B. JAKARTA 05040 PROSECUTORS UNFAZED BY TESTIMONY ¶C. 04 JAKARTA 3590 Classified By: Political Officer Tim Hefner For Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, left Cipinang Penitentiary a free man June 14 at the conclusion of his 25 1/2 month sentence. Family, defense attorneys, and a few hundred supports greeted the cleric in a generally muted public response. Ba'asyir gave a short speech upon exiting the prison and departed the prison by motorcade. Ba'asyir, who plans to return to his Al Mukmin "Ngruki" pesantren in Solo, Central Java, has already begun work with his media spin doctors on a public campaign to rehabilitate his image. End Summary. BA'ASYIR A FREE MAN -------------- ¶2. (U) Officials at Cipinang Penitentiary released Abu Bakar Ba'asyir on June 14 at 0715 at the conclusion of his 25 1/2 month sentence (ref A). Two of Ba'asyir's children, Abdul Rosyid and Rasyid Ridho, joined by his Muslim Defense Team (TPM) lawyers, greeted him at the prison doors. According to press reports, less than 300 people appeared at Cipinang to greet Ba'asyir, with the majority coming from Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (MMI),the political wing of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist organization. Dressed in long white robes and wearing vests with "Mujahiddin" written on the back, MMI members lead Ba'asyir supporters from the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and Ba'asyir's Al Mukmin "Ngruki" pesantren in shouts of "Allahu Akbar." No media outlets reported any religious leaders joining Ba'asyir's supporters despite previous statements to the press by MMI's Fauzan Al-Ansyari (ref A). The press had anticipated that the Association of Islamic Students (HMI) would join MMI, but no media reported HMI's presence today. ABB AND HIS TEAM: AS MEDIA SAVY AS EVER -------------- ¶3. (U) Upon exiting the prison, Ba'asyir gave a five-minute speech to his followers. Ba'asyir reportedly stated "I give thanks to Allah, to my attorneys, my defenders who have enthusiastically defended me throughout the judicial process. I will continue to struggle to uphold the laws of Islam." Ba'asyir then praised the power of Islam to save Indonesia and all mankind and hailed Islamic law as the law of the land. He also appealed to his supporters to follow the words of Allah and Allah's apostles rather than to follow their own beliefs. He ended his mini-sermon with a verse from the Quran. Late on June 13, prison officials publicly announced they would release Ba'asyir at 0800 on June 14. When asked by reporters why they moved up the release time, one official admitted concerns over the gathering supporters in front of Cipinang Penitentiary. A spokesperson for Ba'asyir's defense team told the press Ba'asyir did not want his supporters to cause a traffic jam for those on their morning commute and requested the earlier release. ¶4. (C) Ba'asyir departed in a six-vehicle caravan that included two police cars. MMI's Al-Ansyari told the media that he had requested police protection for Ba'asyir for the duration of the trip back to Solo. A spokesperson from Ba'asyir's "Ngruki" pesantren confirmed that Ba'asyir would return there to resume teaching. International Crisis Group's JI expert Sidney Jones told us that MMI would charge journalists 600,000 Rp (approximately 65USD) to ride on the bus with Ba'asyir from Jakarta to Solo. TPM said Ba'asyir would receive a full medical examination in Solo. According to Embassy sources, Ba'asyir joined his "Muslim Defense Team" (TPM) lawyers in their office two hours after departing the prison. Senior TPM lawyer Mahendradatta told the press TPM would continue with the judicial review process to rehabilitate Ba'asyir's name (ref B). JAKARTA 00007555 002 OF 002 MONITORING BA'ASYIR -------------- ¶5. (U) Police stated they would observe Ba'asyir's activities, but they provided the press few details and suggested that society as a whole and local neighborhood organizations might take on this responsibility. DPR Speaker Agung Laksono told the press that any supervision of Ba'asyir or MMI must follow the law and must not discriminate against any organization. In a media interview, Australian Foreign Minister reiterated the GOI's responsibilities to freeze Ba'asyir's financial assets and prohibit his international travel because of his status as UNSC 1267 designee. AMSELEM