Source/Credit: ABC News | Australia
By Sen Lam | July 28, 2011
AUDIO from Asia Pacific
Erna Ratnaningsih, chairwoman, Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation
Judges hearing cases involving religious freedom in Indonesia are frightened by fundamentalists attending court, says a lawyer representing the persecuted Ahmadiyah sect.
Human rights groups are outraged by light sentences handed out to members of a violent mob that killed three members of the minority Ahmadiyahs in February.
The incident at Cikeusik, Banten province, western Java, was secretly filmed and the footage distributed online.
Twelve people stood trial, but none faced murder charges, with sentences ranging from between three and six months' jail.
Discrimination
Human Rights Watch says the trial sent a chilling message that attacks on minorities will be treated lightly by the country's legal system.
Erna Ratnaningsih, chairwoman of Indonesia's Legal Aid Foundation, and a lawyer for the Ahmadiyahs, told Radio Australia's Asia Pacific: "There is discrimination and there is no fair trial on Ahmadiyah cases, according to the sentences."
In contrast, an Ahmadiyah member charged with violence had received a sentence of 18 months.
She said lawyers knew before the trial that judges or prosecutors "would be influenced by fundamentalists organisations who attend in the court."
Defence lawyers had approached the judicial commission asking it to watch the situation in Cikeusik.
Pressure
Does she consider there is legal bias in cases involving Ahmadiyahs? "I think not only for Ahmadiyahs. But (in) most of the cases on religious freedom, the judges are afraid of the people who attended in the court. Because they will make pressure to the judges or to the prosecutors."
Ms Ratnaningsih told the program the defence may themselves push prosecutors to appeal against the light sentences handed down to members of the mob.
"This is not only (a) crime; this is a human rights violation" against the victims, the Legal Aid Foundation head said.
"We are ready to report the cases to the (Indonesian National) Human Rights Commission.
"I think we should push the Human Rights Commission to investigate and publish their investigation."
--Media File: http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/abcasiapacificnews/audio/201107/r806329_7154158.mp3
Read original post here: Indonesian judges scared, says lawyer
Ban on Ahmadi Muslim mosque upheld
ReplyDeleteWednesday (27 July), Southern Kazakhstan Regional Court upheld a 12 May Economic Court decision to fine the the southern city of Shymkent’s Ahmadi Muslim community, and suspend its rights to use its mosque and land. Judge Sabit Zhaksylykov ruled that the suspension applies until the alleged violations of land usage claimed by the joint Zhambyl-Kyzylorda-South Kazakhstan inter-regional Land Inspection Agency are “eliminated”, according to the verdict seen by Forum 18.
Kazakhstan
Aygul Tilhodjayeva, Secretary of the Court’s Panel, on 27 July told Forum 18 that the Court will not make any comment on the decision. However, she said that “the Ahmadiyya Community may within a year file a cassation appeal”. She also stated that the Appeal Court’s decision will not enter into force until after the case is heard by Cassation Court” This means that the community can for the moment continue to use the building.
Ahmadi Muslims from Shymkent, who wished to remain unnamed for fear of state reprisals, told Forum 18 on 28 July that “as soon we receive a copy of the Court decision, we will prepare our appeal and file it”. Tilhodjayeva of the Court’s Panel told Forum 18 that the Ahmadi’s will soon receive a copy of the decision.
http://www.albanytribune.com/kazakhstan-one-nation-one-religion-30072011/