Passions run high as cleric jailed

By Rachel Harvey BBC correspondent in Jakarta

Hundreds of supporters of the radical Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir had gathered to greet their hero as he arrived for his day in court.

Inside, it was standing room only as the judges considered the evidence that would eventually lead to the cleric being convicted of subversion but cleared of the more serious charge of treason.

Protests greeted the sentence

Passions were running so high, the defendant felt moved to make an unusual appeal to those present to stay calm.

Anyone causing trouble is clearly a provocateur of the US, he said, assuring supporters that whatever happened "we will win, as long as we stay on the path of Allah."

And with that formal proceedings got underway.

Lengthy wait

The prosecution accused Abu Bakar Ba'asyir of being the spiritual head of Jemaah Islamiah.

The trial was a key test of the government's commitment to reining in Islamic militants

As such, they say, he sanctioned attacks aimed at overthrowing the secular government of Indonesia in order to establish a strict Islamic state.

For eight hours, the panel of five judges reviewed the evidence. Some in the courtroom struggled to stay awake. Even some of the defence lawyers were caught yawning.

But eventually, the verdict came: Guilty of subversion, but not guilty of being the leader of a treasonous plot.

The sentence, which took into account the advanced years of the defendant, amounted to four years in prison including time served.

Key test

The response from Abu Bakar Ba'asyir was swift, condemning the decision as evil.

The cleric denies any wrongdoing

"I fight for Sharia law, and they accuse me of subversion. I cannot take that. So I will appeal," he said. And his lawyers think he has a valid case.

Outside the court, the reaction from Abu Bakar Ba'asyir's supporters was similar.

"We're not happy with this verdict. Abu Bakar Ba'asyir never did anything but they forced this verdict as a middle way. This is so that the international community will think that Indonesia is handling terrorism," said one man.

This trial was a key test of the Indonesian government's commitment to reining in Islamic militants.

The guilty verdict will allow the authorities to claim that they are serious in their efforts. But critics will argue that the light sentence sends the opposite message.

After four and a half months of trial, little it seems has changed.