Three Islamic militants convicted of the 2002 Bali bombings that
killed 202 people will not be executed today because they want to
appeal their sentences.
Amrozi Nurhasyim, Ali Gufron and Imam Samudra were among more
than 30 people convicted for the October 12 nightclub bombings on
the resort island of Bali, which officials say were carried out by
the al-Qaida-linked Jamaah Islamiyah terror group.
They confessed to the crime but last month authorized lawyers to
file a final appeal, known as a judicial review, averting today's
planned execution by firing squad, said I Wayan Pasek Suarta,
spokesman for Indonesia's attorney general.
"We have to respect the rights of the convicts because they have
informed us that they want to file a final appeal... so the
execution cannot be carried out," he said.
The suicide bombings, which killed mostly foreign tourists, have
been followed by annual terrorist attacks in the world's most
populous Muslim nation, blamed on Jamaah Islamiyah, that have
killed another 40 people.
After a second round of bombings on Bali last year the
government agreed to speed up the executions of Nurhasyim, Gufron
and Samudra amid concerns they still wielded influence over other
militants.
But lawyers for the three argued that the anti-terror law used
to convict them was applied retroactively.
While the militants have signed a request for a judicial review,
they have not yet presented it to the Supreme Court, said lawyer
Muhammad Mahendradatta.
They were waiting to hear if a change of venue request for their
review trial had been granted, he said, claiming Bali's district
court in Denpasar was biased against them.
At the same time, analysts say the timing of the executions may
be linked to those of three Christian militants on death row.
They say it would be politically difficult for the government to
execute the Bali bombers before putting the Christians before a
firing squad.
In the past, the three Bali bombers have said they wanted to die
and become martyrs for their cause. None has expressed regret for
the attacks.
Samudra, who is said to have co-ordinated the blasts, has
defended them in a book as a legitimate part of a holy war against
the West.
The stay of execution was yesterday welcomed by the Australian
father of one of the bomb attack's victims. Lawyer Brian Deegan,
whose son Josh, 21, died in the blasts, wrote to Amnesty
International last week requesting that Indonesia spare Nurhasyim,
Gufron and Samudra's lives.
"I am happy about the decision because everyone has the same
rights as everyone else regardless of the crime so their right to
appeal should be respected," said Deegan.
(China Daily August 22, 2006)
