Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir began his defence against accusations that he leads a deadly Islamic terror network, saying God would be his judge.
"I testify that there is no other absolute ruler, protector or judge except Allah," the white-robed Bashir, who allegedly heads the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) network, told the five judges.
"There is no source of law except Allah." A calm Bashir denied the allegations and urged the court not to be swayed by domestic or foreign pressure.
He called for a trial "free from political intervention or the intervention of the powers of the government or the intervention of the subjective interests of parties outside Indonesia."
Bashir is formally charged with treason – waging a JI jihad, or holy war to topple the government and set up an Islamic state. JI, which is thought to be linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, is suspected of staging the bombing of two Bali nightspots, which killed 202 people last October and a string of other bloody attacks in the region.
Bashir, who is not accused of involvement in the Bali blasts, described accusations against him as "inhumane".
Judges who passed fair verdicts would go to heaven, those who did not would go to hell, he warned in a short statement before his lawyers began addressing the court.
About 70 white-clad supporters demonstrated outside but there were no clashes. "The government should not bow to foreign pressure," one of them shouted through a loudspeaker. "Abu Bakar Bashir is unjustly accused." "Allahu Akbar," (God is Great) supporters shouted. About 100 police imposed tight security and blocked off the court approach road.
The case is seen as a test of Indonesia's commitment to fighting extremism but Bashir has dismissed it as "slander made up by the United States." Prosecutors say the 64-year-old cleric co-founded JI in 1993 in Malaysia.
In an indictment, they say he authorised the Christmas Eve bombings of churches and priests in 2000 which killed 19 people in Indonesia. He is said to have approved a plot to bomb US interests in Singapore, which was foiled with the arrest of 13 JI suspects there.
The cleric is also accused of ordering the assassination of current president Megawati Sukarnoputri when she was still vice president. The attempt on her life was not made. Treason is punishable by 20 years' imprisonment.
Bashir's lawyers said the charges are based on the alleged word of one man – suspected al-Qaeda operative Omar al-Faruq, who was arrested in Indonesia and secretly handed over to US authorities. Indonesian police say he implicated Bashir in bomb plots during questioning by Jakarta investigators at an undisclosed location.
"The charges against Abu Bakar Bashir were mainly based on the alleged statement of one man ... statements that have been carried by the press and not been confirmed by the person himself," lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution told the court.
The lawyers also said a Jakarta court has no authority to try Bashir since the allegations refer to events at Sukoharjo district in Central Java, where Bashir founded an Islamic boarding school at Ngruki.
They said the main charge also relates to events in Malaysia, where Bashir lived in exile from 1985 in 1999. The hearing was adjourned till May 7.