Bali cleric sentence 'to be cut'

Ba'asyir is widely seen as the head of Jemaah Islamiah

Radical Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, who was jailed over the 2002 Bali attacks, could have his sentence cut to mark a major Muslim festival.

Ba'asyir and many other prisoners are in line for remissions on Thursday, to mark Eid al-Fitr, according to Indonesia's justice minister.

Any reduction will anger Australia, which has already protested over past remissions for convicted Bali bombers.

Many of the 202 people who died in the attacks were Australian.

On national holidays, Indonesia traditionally reduces prison terms of inmates who exhibit good behaviour.

Only those sentenced to death or life in jail are excluded from eligibility.

"As long as the regulations have not been revised, all prisoners will be given a sentence cut in line with their rights under prevailing laws and regulations," Justice Minister Hamid Awaluddin was quoted by the Pikiran Rakyat newspaper as saying over the weekend.

In the past, Australia has asked Indonesia to exclude militants such as Ba'asyir from the jail remissions.

But Mr Awaluddin said that Indonesia, "as a sovereign state, must not be dictated by the wishes of other countries".

Previous remission

In March this year, Ba'asyir was found guilty of conspiracy in connection with the 2002 Bali attacks.

He is also widely believed to be the spiritual leader of the regional militant group Jemaah Islamiah, although this has never been proved in court.

Ba'asyir was originally sentenced to 30 months in prison, but has already benefited from a reduction in his jail term earlier this year, to mark Indonesian independence day.

According to the Associated Press, the authorities are now asking that another 30 days be slashed from his jail time.

If this is approved, Ba'asyir could be freed in May 2006, according to Kartono Supangat, a senior human rights ministry official.