Bali bombers file appeals with SC

Bali bombers file appeals with SC

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

Six convicted Bali bombers, including the mastermind of the
bombings Abdul Aziz alias Imam Samudra, have appealed to the
Supreme Court, their lawyer said on Thursday.

"We submitted the appeal motions on behalf of Imam Samudra,
Abdul Rauf, Junaedi, Andi Hidayat, Bambang Setiono and Musyafak,"
Qadhar Faisal Ruskanda of the Muslim Lawyers Team (TPM) said.

The Bali High Court in November upheld the convicted
terrorists' sentences. Samudra was sentenced to death for his
role in the terror attacks on Oct. 12, 2002, which killed 202
people. The other five convicted terrorists were sentenced to
prison terms ranging from four to 16 years.

"The High Court's verdicts really disappointed us because the
presiding judges failed to take our defense into consideration.
We will mention this failure and the police's repression against
our clients in our defense at the Supreme Court hearings," Qadhar
said.

The Supreme Court is the country's highest judicial
institution. If it rejects Samudra's appeal, he still can request
a review of his case and ask for the President's mercy to evade
the firing squad.

Another convict on death row, Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, had
already filed his appeal motion to the Supreme Court in
September.

Currently, Qadhar said, the Bali High Court is still examining
the appeal motions of eight more convicted terrorists, including
of Ali Gufron alias Muklas, the alleged regional leader of the
Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), the group also blamed for the JW Marriot
Hotel Jakarta bombing on Oct. 5.

The Denpasar Distric Court has sentenced 29 suspects in the
Bali blasts, with four other suspects still on trial.

Earlier in the morning, Samudra refused to testify in the
trial of Heri Hafidin, who is charged with "assisting and
harboring known and wanted terrorists."

Police dossiers have indicated that Heri Hafidin helped
Samudra and his family rent a house in Serang, Banten.

While being escorted to the trial room, Samudra expressed his
hatred of the U.S. President, George W. Bush.

"Just watch, Bush will soon be destroyed. I have sent 5,000
soldiers down from the sky to destroy him. These soldiers are
scattered in Iraq, Turkey, India and other places. God willing,
the soldiers of Allah will prevail," he screamed.

Separately, officers at the Krobokan Penitentiary denied
Khoiriana Khususiati access to her husband Amrozi, for failing to
provide written permission for the visit from the chief of the
Denpasar District Court.

An angered Qadhar then went to the court and quarreled with
the court's chief I Nengah Suriada for no less than 30 minutes.

"Article 69 and 70 of the Criminal Code clearly state that an
inmate has the right to be visited by his lawyer and family at
any time. There is no clause on requirement to secure permission
from the chief of the district court," Qadhar said.

Finally, Suriada gave up, Khususiati and her two daughters
spent a touching one hour with Amrozi.