[JURIST] A district court in Indonesia [JURIST news archive] held hearings Monday to consider the second appeal of three men sentenced to death for their roles in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings [BBC backgrounder]. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court of Indonesia ordered the lower district court [JURIST report] to assemble a panel of judges to review the merits of the latest appeal of Mukhlas, Amrozi, and Imam Samudra [BBC profiles]; the panel will submit its recommendation to the Supreme Court for consideration in making its final decision. The Supreme Court rejected the Bali bombers' first appeal in December, but last month accepted the second appeal [JURIST reports] to determine whether the bombers should have been tried under retroactive laws that were not in effect when the bombings took place. AKI has more.

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.