ViktorNavorski
11-02-2005, 06:50 PM
Indonesia will cut sentences of Bali bombers
Move comes as Australian prime minister warns of possibility of new attack.
By Tom Regan | csmonitor.com
Indonesia will ignore the strong protests of Australia and cut the prison sentences of 27 men convicted in the Bali bombings, as well as their alleged spiritual leader, Abu Bakar Bashir. The Age of Melbourne reports that the practice of reducing the sentence of prisoners not on death row to mark religious holidays is common in Indonesia and in other Muslim countries. (For instance, Iraq and US authorities will release 565 prisoners from Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad on Wednesday to mark the end of Ramadan.) The Age reports that Australian officials have been working with their Indonesian counterparts to redraft Indonesian law so that no one convicted of a crime involving terrorism would be eligible for the sentence reductions. But the changes will not be ready in time for the end of Ramadan, and Indonesia was insistent that it would not change the practice before the new law is in place.Foreign Minister Alexander Downer travelled to Jakarta last month to persuade President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to block reductions for those convicted of terror offences. But Indonesia's Justice Minister Hamid Awaluddin says they'll go ahead according to existing regulations. "The Republic of Indonesia, as a sovereign state, must not be dictated by the wishes of other countries," Awaluddin said this week. "... all prisoners will be given a sentence cut in line with their rights under prevailing laws and regulations."
Mr. Bashir had originally received a 30-month sentence after being found guilty of conspiracy in the 2002 bombings. His sentence was already cut by four months as part of independence day celebrations in August (sentences are also reduced on Indonesian national holidays). He will receive a one-month reduction this time. The Herald Sun also reports that Bashir will apply to the Indonesian Supreme Court this week to have his conviction thrown out.
(http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1102/dailyUpdate.html)Continue... (http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1102/dailyUpdate.html)
Move comes as Australian prime minister warns of possibility of new attack.
By Tom Regan | csmonitor.com
Indonesia will ignore the strong protests of Australia and cut the prison sentences of 27 men convicted in the Bali bombings, as well as their alleged spiritual leader, Abu Bakar Bashir. The Age of Melbourne reports that the practice of reducing the sentence of prisoners not on death row to mark religious holidays is common in Indonesia and in other Muslim countries. (For instance, Iraq and US authorities will release 565 prisoners from Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad on Wednesday to mark the end of Ramadan.) The Age reports that Australian officials have been working with their Indonesian counterparts to redraft Indonesian law so that no one convicted of a crime involving terrorism would be eligible for the sentence reductions. But the changes will not be ready in time for the end of Ramadan, and Indonesia was insistent that it would not change the practice before the new law is in place.Foreign Minister Alexander Downer travelled to Jakarta last month to persuade President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to block reductions for those convicted of terror offences. But Indonesia's Justice Minister Hamid Awaluddin says they'll go ahead according to existing regulations. "The Republic of Indonesia, as a sovereign state, must not be dictated by the wishes of other countries," Awaluddin said this week. "... all prisoners will be given a sentence cut in line with their rights under prevailing laws and regulations."
Mr. Bashir had originally received a 30-month sentence after being found guilty of conspiracy in the 2002 bombings. His sentence was already cut by four months as part of independence day celebrations in August (sentences are also reduced on Indonesian national holidays). He will receive a one-month reduction this time. The Herald Sun also reports that Bashir will apply to the Indonesian Supreme Court this week to have his conviction thrown out.
(http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1102/dailyUpdate.html)Continue... (http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1102/dailyUpdate.html)