Bali victims get justice
Bali victims get justice
Wahyoe Boediwardhana and I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post,
Denpasar, Bali
The death sentence handed down to the Bali bomber Amrozi bin
Nurhasyim provided a ray of hope for the families and friends of
those who perished in the last year's terror attacks that justice
would finally be done.
The Denpasar District Court sentenced Amrozi bin Nurhasyim on
Thursday to death for planning and executing the bombings last
October. He is the first of 29 suspects to be convicted of
involvement in the terror attacks.
Holding a calendar-size picture of her husband, 33-year-old
surfer John Januardi, who perished in the explosion, Australian
Natalie Januardi expressed her satisfaction with the verdict.
"A lot of relief, I'm happy that Amrozi's over," she told
Australia's ABC Radio after attending the trial. "I just can't
wait for the day that he is actually killed."
She recalled the tragic loss of her husband and the father of
their two small children.
"I am very angry. I have never been angry before. This is the
first time I feel very angry toward another human being," the 30-
year-old woman said.
One of the victims, I Dewa Ketut Widiaputra, who was very
badly burned and hospitalized in Australia, could not avoid
expressing his delight.
"I am very satisfied to know that Amrozi is sentenced to
death. We now await his execution," he said after hearing the
verdict.
Erniati, the wife of another victim, was unable to join the
hundreds of people who packed the courtroom set up in the Nari
Graha building here as she had to take care of her ailing two-
year-old son.
But she followed the trial on TV, which aired live coverage of
Amrozi's day of judgment.
"When the bomb exploded I could not believe there was a group
of people who could be so heartlessly brutal toward innocents.
Now I believe that such men do exist," the 32-year-old mother of
three children said.
Her husband, Sari Club headwaiter I Gde Badrawan, was among
those killed when a huge bomb went off right in front of the
popular nightclub that Oct. 12, 2002 night.
Erniati's eldest son, Putu Agus Eriawan, 10, quietly sat next
to his mother watching the live broadcast of Amrozi's trial
He could not bear to watch for long though. With misty eyes he
left the room, took his bicycle and rode off to vent his anger on
video demons in a nearby Playstation gaming club.
Erniati said she would like to witness the execution of
Amrozi.
"Do you think the government will let us watch the execution?
We will not believe that he is dead unless we see it with our own
eyes," she said.
In their 315-page verdict, the five-member panel of judges
said Amrozi was convincingly proven guilty of committing terror
attacks along with other suspects, who are currently either on
trial or under investigation.
"More than that, the terror attack also had a significant
impact on the social, economic and political situation in Bali
and in Indonesia in general," the verdict said.
It took the judges seven-and-a-half hours to read the verdict
during the hearing, presided over by I Made Karna Putra.
Eager to hear the verdict on Amrozi, hundreds of local and
international journalists, families and relatives of bombing
victims, representatives of foreign diplomats, as well as
ordinary people, packed the courtroom.
Jamaluddin, or Lalu, one of Amrozi's brothers from his
birthplace in Lamongan, East Java, tried in vain to enter the
courtroom. Police denied Jamaluddin access as he failed to
produce a pass. The police had noticed Lalu among the
journalists.
Upon hearing the verdict, Amrozi gave a big smile and
displayed two thumbs-up to court attendants. When facing
spectators and TV cameras in particular, Amrozi clenched his fist
and shouted "Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar (God the Almighty),"
Some of the court attendants showed signs of relief. Many of
them clapped their hands, praising the judges' verdict against
Amrozi.
Since the session began at 9 a.m in the morning, Amrozi,
wearing his regular white Muslim garments plus sandals, appeared
to be trying to hide his feelings. Sometimes, he looked bored and
played with his hat or fidgeted. At other times, he caressed his
beard while listening to the judges reading the verdict. He
maintained a smile on his nervous face.
Amrozi's lawyers decided that they would appeal against the
verdict. "We are still considering doing so within the next two
or three days," Fahmi Bachmid said. The appeal would be based on
numerous legal considerations used by the judges, which, he said,
did not justify the verdict.
Bachmid added that the decision to appeal came from Amrozi.
The panel of judges gave Amrozi's lawyers seven days to
present their appeal.