Samudra says sentence 'haram': Lawyers<\/p>\n
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali<\/p>\n
After examining at least 48 witnesses, judges of Denpasar
\nDistrict Court sentenced Samudra to death after declaring him
\nguilty of planning, conspiring and organizing the Bali bombings
\nthat killed at least 202 people and injured over 300 others.<\/p>\n
"We, hereby, punish the defendant Imam Samudra alias Abdul
\nAziz with the death penalty," presiding judge I Wayan Sugawa
\ndeclared.<\/p>\n
Samudra responded to the verdict by raising his right index
\nfinger high in the air and shouting "Allahu Akbar (God is Great)
\nthree times. He repeatedly stroked his beard during the trial.<\/p>\n
Samudra is the second defendant in the Bali bombing to receive
\nthe death sentence after earlier the same court handed down the
\ndeath sentence to Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, who was responsible for
\nthe logistics of the bombing operation.<\/p>\n
He was also found guilty of raising funds for terrorist
\nactivities. This charge related to the robbery committed by
\nSamudra's lieutenants at the Elita jewelry store in Serang,
\nBanten in August 2002. The robbers gave the loot -- amounting to
\n2.5 kilograms of gold jewelry and Rp 5 million in cash -- to
\nSamudra.<\/p>\n
The judges also held Samudra responsible for a string of
\nchurch bombings in Batam on Christmas Eve 2000. In addition, the
\njudges found Samudra guilty of the illegal possession of
\nexplosive materials and firearms.<\/p>\n
Since the defendant had not shown remorse nor admitted guilt
\nover the bombings, the judges stated that they did not find any
\nmitigating elements on the defendant's behalf.<\/p>\n
Samudra was very calm and relaxed during the reading of the
\nverdict. Only when Judge Ifa Sudewi quoted a verse from the Bible
\ndid Samudra respond. He instantly stuck his index fingers into
\nhis ears, refusing to hear the verse.<\/p>\n
Samudra's chief lawyer Qadhar Faisal claimed that the verdict
\nwas unfair and that an appeal would be submitted to the High
\nCourt. According to Qadhar, Samudra could not accept the verdict.<\/p>\n
"Samudra said that it was haram for him to accept the verdict
\nsince it was based on laws devised by the rulers of this country.
\nHe would have accepted the verdict if it had been based on
\nIslamic law," Qadhar said.<\/p>\n
As he was escorted to an armored prison vehicle, Samudra once
\nagain expressed his hatred toward Australians and non-muslim
\npeople.<\/p>\n
"Go to hell infidels, go to hell Australia. Die Australia,
\nAllahu Akbar," he yelled.<\/p>\n
The moment he was about to step into the vehicle, Samudra
\nshouted the names of Ariel Sharon, George W Bush and Tony Blair
\nwhile making the menacing gesture of slicing his throat with his
\nindex finger.<\/p>\n
Samudra was arrested at the Merak-Bakauheni ferry port when he
\nwas about to flee to Sumatra on November 5 2002. His trial
\ncommenced on June 2, 2003.<\/p>\n
Major events since the Bali bombings<\/p>\n
This is a chronology of major events in the Bali bombing case up
\nuntil Samudra's sentencing:<\/p>\n
2002
\nOct. 12 -- Shortly after 11:00 pm a suicide bomber detonates an
\nexplosives-laden vest inside Paddy's pub. Almost simultaneously a
\nmassive car bomb explodes across the street outside the busy Sari
\nClub, killing 202 people from 21 countries, including 88
\nAustralians.<\/p>\n
Oct. 14 -- Defense Minister Matori Abdul Djalil says the attack
\n"is related to al-Qaeda."<\/p>\n
Oct. 19 -- Emergency decrees signed by President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri allow for the death penalty in cases of terrorism.<\/p>\n
Nov. 5 -- Police arrest their first suspect, Amrozi.<\/p>\n
Nov. 8 -- I Made Mangku Pastika, who led the police
\ninvestigation, says Amrozi has confessed to wanting revenge for
\nwhat he called America's oppression of Muslims.<\/p>\n
Nov. 19 -- Police Chief General Da'i Bachtiar says Imam Samudra,
\nwho masterminded the bombings, is Jamaah Islamiyah's operations
\nchief in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Nov. 21 -- Samudra is arrested at a West Java port where he was
\nabout to cross to Sumatra.<\/p>\n
Dec. 4 -- Amrozi's elder brother, Ali Ghufron alias Mukhlas, is
\narrested in Central Java and later charged with having overall
\nresponsibility for the bombings.<\/p>\n
2003
\nJan. 14 -- Ali Imron, Amrozi's younger brother and one of the
\nbombmakers, is arrested on a remote island in Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
Aug. 7 -- Amrozi is sentenced to death.<\/p>\n
Sept. 10 -- Samudra found guilty of masterminding Bali bombings,
\nsentenced to death.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/samudra-says-sentence-haram-lawyers-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}