Paras Indonesia, 10, 20 2005 @ 08:59 pm
Death Row Bombers Reject Pardon Request
Roy Tupai
The three militants sentenced to death for their roles in the October 2002 Bali
nightclub bombings that killed 202 people have decided not to seek a presidential
pardon, reports said Thursday (20/10/05).
Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Mukhlas rejected the chance to request a pardon during
a meeting with judges and prosecutors at their jail on Wednesday, said prosecutor I
Wayan Suwilah.
"I was ordered to meet them yesterday. And they said they did not want a pardon," he
was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
Djoko Susilo, head of the district prosecutor's office in Cilacap, Central Java province,
said the three had decided they could only be judged by God. "They all refused to
seek grace, they said that grace should only be sought from Allah, and not from an
earthly institution," he was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse.
Cilacap District Court head Robert Simorangkir was also present at Wednesday's
meeting, at which the bombers were shown pardon forms. He said Amrozi told the
officials: "You should thank me, because I am brave enough to defy the United
States, while you as officials just sit around."
The government has been under increasing public pressure to swiftly execute the trio
following a new series of deadly bombings in Bali earlier this month.
Under the law, convicts on death row cannot be executed until they have exhausted
all avenues of appeal. Families of the prisoners can also request a presidential pardon
or judicial review. Justice officials are now planning to meet with the families of the
Bali bombers. Samudra's relatives have reportedly said they will respect his wishes
and waive their right to seek a pardon.
Mobs of angry Balinese last week attacked the resort island's main jail during a series
of protests demanding the immediate the execution of the bombers. The protests
prompted authorities to transfer Amrozi, Samudra and Mukhlas to Batu penitentiary
on Nusakambangan island, south of mainland Central Java.
Attorney General's Office spokesman Masyhuar Ridwan said authorities would set an
execution date before Lebaran – the holiday period that marks the end of the fasting
month of Ramadhan.
"We have a target that before Lebaran, we'll have certainty of execution time," he was
quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press. Lebaran this year falls in early
November.
Bali Police chief I Made Mangku Pastika has warned that accelerating the execution
process could prompt the trio's militant supporters to carry out more terror attacks.
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