Jakarta, Indonesia - An Indonesian court dismissed a class-action suit Tuesday filed by Islamic extremists demanding that an anti-terror squad be disbanded for allegedly violating human rights while making arrests.
Abu Bakar Bashir — who served three years in prison for giving his blessing to the 2002 Bali bombings only to have his conviction subsequently overturned — was among those who submitted the legal challenge in July.
The group, which calls itself the "Team of Muslim Lawyers," claimed that Indonesia's U.S. and Australian-funded anti-terror police, known as the Densus 88 unit, had damaged the interests of Islam by arbitrarily arresting Muslims and labeling them terrorists.
"We've decided to drop the case," Judge Wahyono told the South Jakarta District Court, claiming that the definition of class action did not apply in this case. He, like many Indonesians, goes by only one name.
The group has acknowledged that they are anti-American and that they want to impose sharia (Islamic) law in Indonesia. They have also openly voiced support for acts of violence against Christians.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, has been hit by a string of terrorist attacks in recent years blamed on the al-Qaida-linked militant group Jemaah Islamiyah, the most deadly being the 2002 Bali blasts, which claimed 202 lives.
Densus 88 has been instrumental in arresting scores of suspected militants since then, and nearly 200 have been convicted. It has denied violating the human rights of suspects.
A lawyer for the Islamic group protested Tuesday's decision.
"Many Muslims have been victims of raids carried out by the anti-terror police," said Munarman, who also goes by one name. "The judge should examine the case more carefully."
Munarman said they were considering other legal options.