Posted on 10/14/2005 3:18:52 PM PDT by naturalman1975
INDONESIA is moving to fast-track the executions of the three Bali bombers on death row, with the Denpasar District Court insisting Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, his elder brother Mukhlas and Imam Samudra declare whether they intend to appeal for clemency from the President or not.
The Court's official spokesman, Made Suraatmaja, confirmed yesterday that letters had been sent to each of the three prisoners asking them if they wished to seek a presidential pardon, but denied the court had been pressured by the Indonesian Government wanting to send a strong message against terrorism.
"These letters were to ask them whether they wanted to lodge an appeal for clemency with the President," Mr Suraatmaja said.
If the three Bali bombers refuse to ask for clemency, or if they ask for clemency and it is refused, they can be executed without delay, authorities said.
"It's to find out if they want to use this opportunity," Mr Suraatmaja said. "Actually from the beginning they have never asked for this clemency, because that would mean apologising and they believe in what they did, so they don't want to apologise.
"There has been no pressure. This is just in relation to their rights," he said. "No pressure, it hasn't gone that far."
The three bombers were moved from Bali's Kerobokan Jail to the high-security Batu prison on Nusakambangan, an island south of Java, the day before a violent mob of 2000 protesters stormed the prison on Wednesday - the third anniversary of the 2002 bombings - demanding that they be immediately executed.
Chanting "Kill Amrozi, kill Amrozi", the crowd removed part of the jail's main steel door before riot police stopped them from entering the prison.
The lawyer for the three bombers, Ahmad Michdan, attacked the court's decision to send the letters to his clients when the legal process had yet to be exhausted.
He said his clients had the right to a judicial review by the Supreme Court in Jakarta, because they had been convicted using retrospective anti-terror laws in a move that was later deemed as unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court. However, the Supreme Court had yet to send an official letter agreeing to the judicial review, he said.
"We have been waiting for that letter until now, but it has never arrived," he said.
"It should be delivered to the Denpasar District Court first and they should then deliver it to us. So that is why we object to the District Court sending letters to Batu prison.
"They (the three Bali bombers) cannot be executed because they are still making legal efforts.
"If they are executed because of local or international pressure, that's not permissible."
Bali's chief district attorney, IKetut Artana, said everything was in readiness for the execution arrangements. "If the legal process is finished, or if they ask for clemency and it is rejected, then they will be executed," he said.
In Indonesia, condemned prisoners are executed by a police firing squad, but the arrangements are determined by the attorney's office.
The three Bali bombers have been sentenced to death for planning and implementing the devastating blasts in October 2002 that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
Three drug smugglers - two Thais and an Indian - were executed in Indonesia last year and two Indonesian murderers have been executed this year.
The latest development came as Qantas said yesterday about 5000 Australians had cancelled travel to Bali since the bombings two weeks ago.
Mr Borghetti said the airline had seen no sign of a bounce back in the second week and the level of new bookings remaining "very, very small".
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