Radio Australia:
Nurkholis Hidayat is the Director of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute and is Mr Sudjana’s lawyer.
Speaker: Nurkholis Hidayat,Director of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute; Andreas Harsono, consultant, Human Rights Watch Indonesia
Presenter: Alma Mistry
MISTRY: Deden Sudjana’s hand was almost severed by a machete as he attempted to stop an angry mob who were attacking an Ahmadiyah home in Indonesia’s Banten Province in February. Last month 12 villagers were given sentences in the Banten district court ranging from three to six months in jail, for their involvement in the attack .
Deden asked "Who is more dangerous? Me or the attackers who killed my friends and even myself.
Despite video footage showing at least one of the accused bashing a man’s head with a rock, prosecutors didn’t seek murder or manslaughter charges.
Today the same court found Deden Sudjana guilty of ignoring police orders to evacuate, because he was one of a handful of Ahmadiyah members who tried to stop the 1000 strong crowd as it attacked the house . He was sentenced to 6 months in prison.
HIDAYAT:Even Deden at the end of the trial he asked “Who is more dangerous? Me or the attackers who killed my friends and even myself he said.
MISTRY: To those familiar with the case the verdict was not surprising. Andreas Harsono is a consultant for Human Rights Watch in Indonesia. He says the panel of three judges were focused solely on Mr Sudjana’s faith.
HARSONO: They did not try to ask about material evidence for instance but they were busy questioning his faith, his Ahmayiyah organisation. They are also believing he was there to provoke the violence.
Categories: Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Asia, Indonesia, Law and Religion