JURIST - Paper Chase: Bali bombers' bid for high court second appeal could delay executions

[JURIST] Three Indonesian Islamic militants sentenced to death for their roles in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings [BBC backgrounder] have filed a second appeal with the Indonesian Supreme Court, a spokesperson for the Indonesian attorney general's office said Tuesday. The three militants - Mukhlas, Amrozi, and Imam Samudra [BBC profiles] - are not entitled under Indonesian law to a second review from the Indonesian Supreme Court, but their executions could now be delayed because authorities must wait until the appeal is formally rejected. The militants' lawyers say that Indonesia's anti-terrorism laws, enacted following the 2002 Bali bombings, should not have retroactive effect.

In December, the Indonesian Supreme Court rejected the militants' appeal [JURIST report], giving the defendants one month to seek clemency from the Indonesian president. They have said they will not seek clemency. In August 2007, the Indonesian government reduced the sentences [JURIST report] of 10 other Islamic militants convicted for their roles in the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings [BBC report]. Originally serving between eight to 18 years, six of the militants received a sentence reduction of five months, while the other four received a reduction of two months. Terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah [MIPT backgrounder; JURIST news archive] has been blamed for both Bali bombings. Reuters has more.

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