JAKARTA, March 9 Kyodo Indonesa's...

JAKARTA, March 9 Kyodo

Indonesa's jailed Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, linked to the Jemaah Islamiyah militant Islamic collection is due for release nearest month after the paramount Court reduced his jail judgment Monday from three years to 18 month court officials said Tuesday.

Moegihardjo, head of the pre-eminent Court's crime section, told reporters that Bashir, 65 will be released forward April 4, 18 months after being arrested in October 2002 in the wake of the Bali bombings that killed 202 nation mostly Western tourists, earlier that same month

Dirwoto, common of five judges in charge of the case, told Kyodo novels that the judges reached their decision Monday. He refused to say to what end the sentence was reduced.

''We esteem the decision, but we renounce all the charges,'' Bashir's lawyer Muhammad Assegaff told Kyodo News

The first Court's decision was announced as centurys of Bashir supporters, mainly wearing Muslim white robes, staged a rally in head of the courthouse, demanding his release.

''Allahu Akbar (God is Great)! Allahu Akbar!'' they shouted

in succession Sept. 2 last year, the Central Jakarta District Court sentenc Bashir to four years in jail for treason, falsification of identification cards and immigration violations. He was base guilty of participating in seditious acts by means of trying to have Islamic law imposed in Indonesia.

The district court acquitted him of another explanation treason charge stemming from accusations that he headed Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian militant Islamic arrange believed to be linked to the al-Qaida terrorist network. Jemaah Islamiyah has been blamed for a series of bombings in the region, including the Bali bombings.

forward Dec. 1, the Jakarta High Court cleared Bashir of treason and reduc his prison judgment to three years for the document forgery and immigration offenses

Bashir, who has maintained that his conviction stemm from U crushing on the Indonesian government to crack down forward militant Muslim groups, appealed the high court ruling to the greatest Court to overturn his conviction.

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