November execution for Bali bombers
Indonesia’s attorney general says three convicted bombers will die in early November.
He said “all legal avenues” for the convicts had been exhausted “and all legal requirements have been fulfilled”.
|
“The execution will be carried out in early November… The decision is final” Jasman Panjaitan, |
Lawyers for the three men have condemned the announcement, saying the government had a duty to give a clear date for the sentences to be carried out.
“The announcement today is not firm or clear about the execution date, it could be anywhere between November 1 and November 10,” lawyer Achmad Cholid told the AFP news agency.
“We think they’re just playing for time.”
The October 2002 bomb attacks on two separate nightclubs left 202 people dead, most of them foreign tourists.
Earlier this week Indonesia’s constitutional court rejected an appeal by the three men against the method of execution.
‘Humane’
 |
| The 2002 bombings left 202 dead, most of them foreign tourists [GALLO/GETTY] |
Lawyers for the convicted bombers had argued that death by firing squad constituted torture and that beheading was a more humane sentence.
That was rejected by the court, which said the reasons given were “baseless”.
During the hearing witnesses who had seen other executions testified that in one case someone was still alive up to seven minutes after being shot and was obviously in deep pain.
The bombers also said that according to Islamic law beheading would be the right method of execution.
Another more “humane” method would be a lethal injection, they had argued.
The three men have expressed no regret over carrying out the attacks and told visiting reporters last month that if they were executed their deaths would be avenged by others.
“If I’m executed there’ll be retribution. It’s not necessary for me to tell you what the retribution will be,” Amrozi, was quoted as saying.
Amrozi head earned the nickname “the smiling bomber” in some reports for his jovial manner during court appearances and for cheering when he was sentenced to death in 2003.
Delays
| Indonesia executions |
|
According to Indonesia’s 1964 law on executions the condemned convict has a choice of standing or sitting and of The firing squad must consist of 12 people, usually police officers, who stand 5-10 metres away. Reports say only six of the firing squad have live bullets, so none of them know who fired the lethal shot. The squad fire at the target’s heart on a signal given by a commanding officer. |
The executions of the three bombers, considered a politically highly sensitive issue in Indonesia, have been delayed on several occasions without clear reasons.
Indonesian police are reported to have planned a massive security operation to handle any violence that follows the executions.
Hundreds or possibly thousands of supporters are expected to surround the prison and escort the bodies of the three men to their hometowns following the execution.
Most executions in Indonesia are carried out by firing squad late at night with the families of condemned prisoners only told of the exact date three days before the sentence is carried out.