`Smiling bomber' finally gets day in court
`Smiling bomber' finally gets day in court
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali
The first trial of a Bali bombing suspect began on Monday
under extremely tight security, with prosecutors charging Amrozi
bin Nurhasyim, the so-called "smiling terrorist", with plotting
the attack.
State prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan charged Amrozi with taking
part in six meetings to plan the bombings, which killed 202
people, mostly foreign tourists.
"They talked about the Muslim obligation toward other Muslims
who have been repressed and slaughtered by the United States and
its allies in Afghanistan, Palestine, Kashmir ... and Iraq,"
prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan read from a 33-page indictment.
The 43-year-old suspect has been charged under the country's
terrorism law for plotting the bombings. If found guilty of the
charge he could receive the death penalty.
In addition, Amrozi has been charged with using violence to
inflict death and damage property, criminal conspiracy to commit
an act of terrorism and the illegal possession and storage of
explosives.
Amrozi, who earned his nickname from the press by giggling and
smiling during previous appearances, was stony-faced on Monday
during the packed televised hearing.
Among those attending the hearing were Australian Ambassador
to Indonesia David Ritchie, British Ambassador to Indonesia
Richard Gozney as well as relatives of the victims.
More than 600 security officers and Balinese traditional
guards sealed off the area around the Nari Graha building where
the hearing took place, while a police helicopter patrolled above
the venue.
Amrozi's lawyers responded to the prosecutor's indictment by
describing it as blurry and inaccurate, and asked the panel of
judges, led by I Made Karna, to dismiss the charges against their
client.
The defense lawyers said the indictment, for example, failed
to specify the time and place of the alleged crime.
"In the primary charge, the prosecutors accuse the defendant
of being one of the principal planners of the bombings. However,
the prosecutors fail to describe any event or action that would
qualify the defendant as a planner. They only mention that the
defendant attended several meetings prior to the bombings, but
did not describe the defendant's role in those meetings," said
Wirawan Adnan, one of the nine lawyers defending Amrozi.
The lawyers also questioned the retroactive nature of the
antiterrorism law, the main legal text used by the prosecutors.
Chief prosecutor Muhammad Salim said the prosecution team was
prepared to reply to the defense's challenges. It will be given
the opportunity to do so at the next hearing, which is scheduled
for Monday.
Separately, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza
Mahendra said the government would not interfere in Amrozi's
trial, and asked the public to allow the trial to run its course.
Yusril also asked the public to respect the freedom of the
defense lawyers to voice their opinions. He said that he hoped
the lawyers would be free to present their defense objectively.
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali
The first trial of a Bali bombing suspect began on Monday
under extremely tight security, with prosecutors charging Amrozi
bin Nurhasyim, the so-called "smiling terrorist", with plotting
the attack.
State prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan charged Amrozi with taking
part in six meetings to plan the bombings, which killed 202
people, mostly foreign tourists.
"They talked about the Muslim obligation toward other Muslims
who have been repressed and slaughtered by the United States and
its allies in Afghanistan, Palestine, Kashmir ... and Iraq,"
prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan read from a 33-page indictment.
The 43-year-old suspect has been charged under the country's
terrorism law for plotting the bombings. If found guilty of the
charge he could receive the death penalty.
In addition, Amrozi has been charged with using violence to
inflict death and damage property, criminal conspiracy to commit
an act of terrorism and the illegal possession and storage of
explosives.
Amrozi, who earned his nickname from the press by giggling and
smiling during previous appearances, was stony-faced on Monday
during the packed televised hearing.
Among those attending the hearing were Australian Ambassador
to Indonesia David Ritchie, British Ambassador to Indonesia
Richard Gozney as well as relatives of the victims.
More than 600 security officers and Balinese traditional
guards sealed off the area around the Nari Graha building where
the hearing took place, while a police helicopter patrolled above
the venue.
Amrozi's lawyers responded to the prosecutor's indictment by
describing it as blurry and inaccurate, and asked the panel of
judges, led by I Made Karna, to dismiss the charges against their
client.
The defense lawyers said the indictment, for example, failed
to specify the time and place of the alleged crime.
"In the primary charge, the prosecutors accuse the defendant
of being one of the principal planners of the bombings. However,
the prosecutors fail to describe any event or action that would
qualify the defendant as a planner. They only mention that the
defendant attended several meetings prior to the bombings, but
did not describe the defendant's role in those meetings," said
Wirawan Adnan, one of the nine lawyers defending Amrozi.
The lawyers also questioned the retroactive nature of the
antiterrorism law, the main legal text used by the prosecutors.
Chief prosecutor Muhammad Salim said the prosecution team was
prepared to reply to the defense's challenges. It will be given
the opportunity to do so at the next hearing, which is scheduled
for Monday.
Separately, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza
Mahendra said the government would not interfere in Amrozi's
trial, and asked the public to allow the trial to run its course.
Yusril also asked the public to respect the freedom of the
defense lawyers to voice their opinions. He said that he hoped
the lawyers would be free to present their defense objectively.