Let the law do its work<\/p>\n
For many people, these are the trials of the century. And we
\nshould respect them, and treat them accordingly.<\/p>\n
The trial of Amrozi in Denpasar, which got underway on Monday,
\nis the first of many that will be conducted in the Bali capital
\nin the coming weeks in connection with the bomb attacks in
\nOctober that killed 202 people, mostly foreigners.<\/p>\n
It is certainly not an ordinary trial.<\/p>\n
The magnitude of the killing itself makes this a very unusual
\ncase. The deaths of so many innocent people from different
\nnationalities makes this a trial that will be followed intensely
\nby the domestic and international public. The heinous nature of
\nthe crime, and the presence of terrorism elements, are drawing
\nthe attention of those who have been obsessed with the war on
\nterrorism for nearly two years now.<\/p>\n
The Oct. 12 bomb attack in Bali was the most devastating to
\nhave taken place since a group of suicide hijackers crashed their
\nplanes in the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.<\/p>\n
The Bali attack caused more than death. Those who lost their
\nloved ones, and those who were left injured, will have to live
\nwith the psychological scars forever.<\/p>\n
The attacks caused many ripples in Indonesia and across the
\nregion. Bali and the rest of Indonesia were severely punished by
\nmost of the rest of the world because of our inability to deal
\nwith the threat of terrorism. Bali's tourism, the source of
\nincome for many people there, has never recovered. The rest of
\nIndonesia also suffered as many countries warned their citizens
\n(and investors) against visiting our country.<\/p>\n
Life for many people has never been the same since then.<\/p>\n
The government, thankfully albeit belatedly, got its act
\ntogether in response to the terrorist attacks. New legislation
\nwas introduced to empower the government, police and the courts
\nin dealing with this threat. Indonesia also found there was never
\na shortage of support and assistance from other countries.<\/p>\n
The National Police got down to work immediately to launch the
\ninvestigation with the help of their foreign counterparts, most
\nof all Australia. Within two weeks, they arrested the bombing
\nsuspects, starting with Amrozi, and smashed their alleged ring.<\/p>\n
It has taken them exactly seven months since the bombing to
\nbring the first suspect to the court, with Amrozi's trial. This
\nis quite an achievement considering what they were up against at
\nthe start of the investigation, and considering their past
\nfailures in solving earlier, albeit smaller, terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n
Will their work and perseverance pay off?<\/p>\n
We certainly hope so. Success will be measured not only by the
\nfinal verdicts meted by the court, but more importantly by the
\nprocess of the trials. That means that these trials will have to
\nbe transparent, credible, and most of all, fair.<\/p>\n
The verdicts, whichever way they go, will be the consequence
\nof the legal processes that we hope will be able to dig out the
\ntruth about these bombings, the perpetrators and their motives.<\/p>\n
Those who have been following the investigations into these
\nbombings may have some reservations about the process and the
\nresults. Some may even have questions about the credibility of
\nthe investigation. There may even be doubts about the ability of
\nour courts being able to dispense justice.<\/p>\n
But now that the first of many trials has started, the best
\nthing that everyone -- and we mean everyone without exception --
\ncan do is to allow the court to do its work.<\/p>\n
We should leave the judges alone in working to find the truth
\nabout the Oct. 12 bombings, and to come to their own decisions
\nabout these suspects on trial. We should not try to interfere, or
\neven worse, subvert the legal process.<\/p>\n
The media, which has developed a habit of turning every major
\nincident into a circus, including the police investigation of
\nthis bombing, must refrain from publishing or airing stories or
\ncomments that could be construed as influencing the trials. In
\nother words, we should only be reporting about what is said in
\ncourt and not more and not less.<\/p>\n
This is indeed, for many of us, the trial of the century.<\/p>\n
The nation, and the international community too, are placing
\ntheir hopes on the shoulders of the panel of judges entrusted
\nwith the trial of Amrozi, and of the other suspects.<\/p>\n
This is indeed a huge responsibility. Let's hope that the
\njudges are up to their task.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/let-the-law-do-its-work-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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