Indonesian student faces death in Cairo

Indonesian student faces death in Cairo

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An Indonesian student accused of murdering four members of a
Malaysian family in Cairo earlier this year will likely face the
death sentence.

Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt Bachtiar Aly said on Saturday
the student, Ali Darman, was likely to go on death row after
relatives of the deceased refused to pardon him.

Under Egyptian law, capital punishment can be avoided if the
relatives of a victim agree to forgive the murderer.

Bachtiar said the Indonesian Embassy had made a series of
diplomatic overtures to have Ali's punishment reduced to life
imprisonment.

"We have asked Malaysian officials to arrange a meeting
between us and the victims' relatives, but the family refused to
respond," Bachtiar told Antara.

Ali, a student of a Sharia law university, is currently in
prosecutors' custody and will stand trial early next year for
murder and armed robbery.

He was accused of killing university colleague, Muhammad Zaki
Ayyub, 27, his wife, Nur Hayati Bokhari, 27 and their two
children Maryam, 7, and Muaz, 3, last October.

Police said the murder followed a robbery as some US$6,800 in
cash belonging to Ayyub was stolen. Ali had earlier confessed to
committing the crimes.

The Indonesian, who owned a restaurant in Cairo, was named the
only suspect in the killing spree.

One of Ayyub's relatives, Muhammad Syukri, said there would be
no reconciliatory talks with Ali.

"We will not grant the pardon, although we understand that
they (Ali's side) have tried to meet us. It is impossible for us
to forgive him," Syukri said as quoted by Antara on Friday.

Ali had appeared in a hearing early this month, but the court
gave the Indonesian government a chance to seek a pardon from
Ayyub's relatives.

The embassy has hired a Egyptian lawyer to represent Ali.