Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee
Joined: 25 May 2003
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 Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 1:13 am Post subject: Bali bombers' sentences cut |
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Bali bombers' sentences cut
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By ZAKKI HAKIM, Associated Press WriterFri Aug 17, 7:04 AM ET
Ten Islamic militants jailed for suicide bombings on Bali that killed more than 220 people � many of them foreign tourists � had several months shaved off their sentences Friday to mark Indonesia's Independence Day.
It is a local tradition to cut jail terms on holidays, but the decision was likely to anger countries that lost citizens in the 2002 and 2005 attacks on the resort island's crowded nightclubs and restaurants.
The father of one of the victims lambasted the "blatant disregard" for those who died.
Those who benefited from Friday's remissions were serving between eight and 18 years on a variety of charges, including helping to plan the bombings, sheltering the main suspects and setting up a Web site explaining how to kill foreigners.
Six men involved in the Oct. 12, 2002, terror strikes that claimed 202 lives � 88 of them Australians � had their sentences cut by five months for good behavior, said Ilham Djaya, chief warden at Bali's main prison.
Four others convicted in the 2005 attacks that left 20 people dead received two-month reductions.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has been hit by a string of terrorist attacks blamed on the al-Qaida-linked militant group Jemaah Islamiyah since the Sept. 11, 2001, strikes in the U.S.
But it has not suffered a suicide bombing in nearly two years, thanks largely to the arrest and imprisonment of hundreds of suspects, prompting the country's president to claim victory Thursday in the so-called war on terror.
Australian Brian Deegan, who lost his 21-year-old son Josh in the 2002 nightclub attacks, said he could not understand the rationale behind cutting sentences of convicted terrorists.
"The original punishments ... could hardly be called dissuasive for persons who might be like-minded," he told The Associated Press by telephone. "And the constant review and early releases simply subtracts from what little dissuasion that there was."
The government says all prisoners in Indonesia have a constitutional right to sentence reductions, regardless of their crimes, except for those serving life in prison or on death row.
Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Matalatta said about 64,000 inmates received cuts on Friday, most by a few months, and of those about 6,600 were freed.
Among those who did not benefit was Australian Schapelle Corby, who was sentenced to 20 years in 2005 for smuggling nine pounds of marijuana to Bali.
Djaya said the high-profile inmate lost her right to a two-month reduction after she was caught with a mobile phone in her cell, apparently smuggled in by a friend.
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Associated Press writer Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, contributed to this report. |
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070817/ap_on_re_as/indonesia_bali_bombers&printer=1;_ylt=Aunbrw.f6CRxV2tivAJ1jd_9xg8F |
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