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Indonesia’s Rejects Appeals of Bali Bombers

Disha UppalSeptember 25, 2007

Indonesia’s top court has rejected the final appeals of two Islamic militants convicted in connection with the 2002 Bali bombings, in which two nightclubs on the resort island were blown up, killing 202 people and injuring scores of others. This means that the execution of these so-called Bali bombers might be drawing closer.

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Police and emergency workers surveying the ruins of a nightclub after the Bali bomb blasts
Police and emergency workers surveying the ruins of a nightclub after the Bali bomb blastsImage: AP

Indonesia -- the world's most populous Muslim nation -- has been hit by a string of terrorist attacks in recent years. Most are blamed on the al-Qaeda-linked militant group Jemaah Islamiyah or JI. The most deadly attack was the bombings on the resort island of Bali on October 12, 2002.

They not only shook Indonesia, but also the rest of the world, as most of the victims were foreigners.

Ali Ghufron, Imam Samudra and Amrozi Nurhasyim, allegedly members of Jemaah Islamiyah, were found guilty of playing a role in carrying out the Bali attacks.

Punishment

During the investigation they admitted their involvement, saying the attacks were meant to punish the United States and their Western allies for alleged atrocities in Afghanistan. They were sentenced to death by a District Court in Bali in 2003.

All three men then appealed against their sentencing in the Supreme Court, seeking a judicial review of their verdict. Their lawyers argued that their conviction was illegal because it was based on an anti-terror law that had been applied retroactively.

Last month, Amrozi Nurhasyim's appeal was rejected and on Tuesday the Supreme Court rejected the other two appeals, citing a lack of new evidence.

"I think that was expected. The Supreme Court has taken similar step with respect to the first person amrozi, whose appeal was rejected. So it was expected," said Sidney Jones, an analyst on Southeast Asian affairs, based in Jakarta.

Severe crackdown

Jemaah Islamiyah has also been blamed for several church bombings across Indonesia in the past few years.

The Indonesian police has launched a severe crackdown on the al-Qaeda linked network, arresting around 400 militants since 2002. As Sidney Jones explains, the government’s measures have severely damaged JIs ability to operate.

Right now, it is pretty inactive. Though It is still a large organisation, I don’t think it is particularly interested in undertaking major activities.

Execution

With the Supreme Court's rejection of their appeals, the three Bali bombers are likely to face execution, though it is not clear when precisely the death sentence will be carried out.

Legal experts say the only way for the men to avoid the death penalty would be to ask the country’s president for clemency, something the accused say they will not do.