Indonesian court sentences a Muslim woman to 3 years in jail for harboring terrorists
By APThursday, July 29, 2010
Indonesian woman gets 3-years’ jail for terrorism
JAKARTA, Indonesia — An Indonesian court sentenced a Muslim woman to three years in prison Thursday for harboring terrorists, including one of Southeast Asia’s most-wanted men.
Putri Munawaroh was arrested after police raided her house in Central Java, sparking a gunbattle that killed Noordin Top, the alleged head of the al-Qaida-linked network Jemaah Islamiyah, and three other suspects, including her husband.
The 21-year-old Munawaroh, then pregnant, was wounded in the September 2009 shootout. She later gave birth to a son, who lives with her in prison.
The South Jakarta District Court found her guilty of violating the country’s Anti-Terror Law by providing assistance to wanted militants, said presiding judge Ida Bagus Widyantara.
Noordin, a Malaysian national, was wanted in connection with a spate of bombings in Indonesia, including the 2002 attack on two Bali nightclubs that killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists.
He also was accused of masterminding suicide attacks one year ago at the Ritz-Carlton and J.W. Marriott hotels in the capital, Jakarta, that left seven dead.
Police have arrested and convicted hundreds on terrorism charges in recent years, but Munawaroh is only the second woman.
Her lawyers said she was innocent and, therefore, they will appeal the verdict, which was five years lighter than the prosecutors’ demand.
