Amrozi sane enough to perpetrate Bali bombings: Psychologists
M. Taufiqurrahman The Jakarta Post Jakarta
Jubilation and the absence of remorse from one of the Bali bombings perpetrators -- Amrozi bin Nurhasyim -- after being handed down the death sentence, resulted from his blind religious fanaticism and not underlying mental problems, experts say.
Saparinah Sadli, a social psychologist with the state-run University of Indonesia, said on Friday that Amrozi and other fellow members of the regional terror group, Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), were true believers who were willing to sacrifice their lives in a fight against those they call infidels.
"One way or another they will die for what they believe. They have anticipated this from the very beginning and this explains why Amrozi and other suspects in the Bali blast seem to take the legal process lightly," she told The Jakarta Post.
She said the public should not dismiss Amrozi as simply suffering from a mental disorder as this nullifies the atrocious crime he has committed.
Saparinah was commenting on Amrozi's joy after hearing that the death sentence had been handed down to him.
On Thursday, the panel of judges at the Denpasar District Court sentenced him to death row, after the trial proved him guilty of planning and executing last year's Bali bombings that claimed 202 lives, mostly foreign holidaymakers.
Amrozi is one of 30 suspected members of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) -- an al-Qaeda-linked terror group operating in Southeast Asia -- blamed by the government for the carnage.
Upon hearing the verdict, he smiled broadly and gave two thumbs-up to the court attendants. When facing onlookers and TV cameras in particular, he clenched his fists and shouted Allahu Akbar (God the Almighty). He has also repeatedly said he wanted to die as martyr.
Amrozi was made infamous as the `smiling terrorist' because of his penchant for smiling. He was photographed laughing during his arrest and filmed joking and conversing with a high-rank police official.
He has always defended his acts as a retribution for the United States' and Israel's contribution toward the plight of the people in Palestine. After hearing the verdict, Amrozi did not seek leniency, as he believed that life was not in the hands of judges.
Saparinah feared that Amrozi's defiance in the face of death could induce other fanatics to do the same. "What he has displayed during the trial could convince others not to be afraid to follow his path," she said.
Psychiatrist from the East Java-based Airlangga University, Soetandyo Wingnjosoebroto agreed with Saparinah but said that Amrozi was in fact the victim of a repressive system of religious doctrines.
"However, I can categorize him as a mentally healthy man. I assume he has strongly been indoctrinated by higher authorities in his organization," he told the Post.
The expert also used the term "brainwashed" for describing Amrozi's state of mind.
He explained Amrozi's actions in the court room were a defense mechanism against the outside world, which he perceived as a menace. "It also shows that he will fight -- in this case defying the death sentence -- until the bitter end," he said.
Later in the day, Amrozi's defense lawyers revealed that the convict had decided to appeal against the death sentence. "He has signed a letter authorizing lawyers to make an appeal," lawyer Wirawan Adnan said.
The move could give Amrozi months or years before he faces the firing squad.