| Submit your comments on this article |
| Southeast Asia |
| 10 years jail for Jakarta Marriott bomber |
| 2004-08-24 |
| An Indonesian court on Tuesday sentenced a Muslim militant to 10 years in jail for helping plan last year's J.W. Marriott Hotel bombing, but acquitted him of involvement in the 2002 Bali attacks. The court ruled that Jhoni Hendrawan, alias Idris, could not be prosecuted over the Bali case, in which 202 people died, because of a ruling last month by the country's Constitutional Court prohibiting the retroactive application of the anti-terror law used to charge him. 'In light of the Constitutional Court decision to declare invalid the retroactive use of the anti-terror law, we reject the second charge,' said Judge Asnawi who read out the verdict. Judge Asnawi, sentenced Hendrawan to 10 years imprisonment for helping plan the August 2003 attack on the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, which killed 12 people. Idris said he would decide later whether to appeal. In earlier court sessions, Idris admitted taking part in both attacks, which he said were aimed at America and 'its henchmen who oppress Islam.' Prosecutors had demanded he serve 10 years. Idris was charged under an anti-terror law rushing through parliament after the Bali attacks. Last month, the Constitutional Court ruled that the law could not could not be used for crimes committed before its enactment. Lawyers for the 32 militants already sentenced in the Bali attacks have said they would appeal the verdicts based on that ruling. But Indonesia's justice minister insists that the decision does not affect convictions already handed down - a stance many legal experts have questioned. The Marriott blast occurred after the anti-terror law was passed. At least 10 people have already been convicted in the Marriott attack and sentenced from three to 10 years in jail. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #7 The hypocrisy woven into this case is simply phenomenal. Muslim lawyers refused to defend Idris because, unlike Bali, his attack killed mostly Muslims. The Marriott bombing sparked outrage in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, because 11 of the 12 victims were Indonesian, many poorly paid hotel workers and taxi drivers ... Muslim lawyers who represented the Bali bombers refused to defend the 14 Marriott suspects, including some who later apologized and are cooperating with police. Despite the lawyers' culturally relative judgement that this was a heinous offense, the sentencing seems to reflect how attacking a perceived bastion of western interests is not of significance and slaughtering innocent Muslims is an acceptable loss in the pursuit of those ends. (Hint: M.A.R.T.Y.R.S.) Were it not so revolting instead, it would be astonishing to see a court of law shamelessly attempt reconciling this monstrous and gross miscarriage of justice. One can only await what is sure to be extrordinary legal gymnastics as regards the prosecution of Abu Bakar Bashir. This will serve as a bellwhether in gauging Indonesia's |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-08-24 3:37:51 PM |
| #6 Motessadeq got less than 2 days per victim for complicity in the 9/11 attacks, before a German court threw out the conviction. |
| Posted by: Sharon in NYC 2004-08-24 9:16:44 AM |
| #5 Sock Puppet, you are so right again! |
| Posted by: GreatestJeneration 2004-08-24 8:20:32 AM |
| #4 Well mostly it's for not being muslim. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-08-24 8:12:35 AM |
| #3 UNREAL. And our citizens get beheaded in Muslim countries for doing absolutely nothing! |
| Posted by: GreatestJeneration 2004-08-24 8:08:12 AM |
| #2 Think that's cheap? The Lockerbie bomber was given 36.5 days per victim by the High Court in Glasgow. After 27 years (which was backdated to the day he was first taken into custody) he can apply for parole. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2004-08-24 7:51:54 AM |
| #1 Nice to know the value Indonesia has established for the lives of it's citizens: 10 months each. |
| Posted by: ed 2004-08-24 7:36:22 AM |