Imron set to give firing squad the slip

Imron set to give firing squad the slip

Wahyoe Boediwardhana and ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post,
Denpasar/Surabaya

Remorseful Bali bomb defendant Ali Imron alias Alik is facing a
20-year jail sentence despite the prosecution's recognition that
his role was as pivotal as those of the other defendants involved
in the murder of 202 innocent people last October.

In its sentence request read out before the Bali District
Court on Wednesday, the prosecution said the defendant had been
proven guilty of planning the bomb attacks that ripped through
two nightclubs in the famous Bali tourist resort of Kuta.

They said Imron's cooperation during the trial, however, was a
mitigating factor and merited a more lenient punishment for the
defendant.

"Considering this, Ali Imron must be punished with a maximum
of 20 years in jail," prosecutor I Gusti Putu Sulaba told the
court.

The court sentenced one of the suspects, Amrozi, to death last
month and prosecutors have also demanded death for two other
suspects, Abdul Aziz alias Imam Samudra, and Ali Gufron alias
Mukhlas. The court will hand down its verdict in Samudra's case
next week.

Clad in a neat black suit, Imron sat quietly during the two-
and-a-half-hour court session. He was often seen weeping and
trying to hide his tears.

Bali Prosecutor's Office chief M. Salim said Imron should
receive 20 years under Article 14 of Law No. 15/2003 on
terrorism.

"Under this law, it is fitting that we request 20 years
imprisonment for the defendant, especially given that the
defendant was cooperative in revealing his illegal activities,"
the prosecutor said.

Salim said Imron had been honest in coming clean about his
involvement in the bomb attacks.

Imron had also expressed remorse to the families of the
victims, Salim added.

"Imron has urged people not to follow in his footsteps," Salim
said, adding that the defendant had shown respect to the court
and comported himself well compared to the other defendants.

Amrozi and other witnesses had testified against Imron.

Imron and his lawyer Suyanto will present their defense
arguments on Sept. 15.

In a related trial in Surabaya, defense lawyers for Usman
demanded that the court acquit him of all charges, saying the
court did not have jurisdiction to hear the case.

Usman is charged with concealing weapons and ammunition
believed to belong to the al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah terror
group.

In their arguments, defense lawyers Fahmi A. Bachmid and
Zamroni said the events to which the charges related took place
in the East Java town of Pasuruan, which was outside the
jurisdiction of the Surabaya District Court.

They also said their client had not been accompanied by a
lawyer during his preliminary questioning, which was a violation
of the Criminal Law Procedures Code.

The trial of another defendant, Yudi Lukito Kurniawan, was
postponed for unclear reasons.