Post by Anja Nieser on Sept 24, 2006 4:50:46 GMT -5
Bali bombers 'request beheading'
Three Indonesian militants facing execution for the 2002 Bali bombings want to be beheaded rather than killed by firing squad, their lawyer has said.
The three - Amrozi, Mukhlas and Imam Samudra - are expected to include the request in an appeal to the Supreme Court.
Their lawyer, Muhammad Mahendradatta, said beheading was a more humane form of punishment than firing squad.
Their execution was postponed last month to allow for a final appeal.
"Our clients would seek to have a more humane capital punishment. It should be done in accordance with Islamic law, which is by beheading," Muhammad Mahendradatta told the Associated Press news agency.
He said death by firing squad was inhumane because the men would suffer for at least two minutes before dying, which he called "torture".
However Indonesian law insists capital punishment be carried out by a firing squad.
Judicial review
News of their appeal follows the execution of three Christian militants convicted of masterminding a series of attacks on Muslims in Sulawesi, Indonesia.
The three - Fabianus Tibo, Marianus Riwu and Dominggus da Silva - were shot before dawn on Friday morning, police officers said.
Mr Mahendradatta believed the execution could lead to efforts to speed up the punishment against the Bali bombers.
"We are alert because the strategy now is going after Amrozi and company," he told the Reuters news agency.
The 12 October 2002 nightclub bombings, in Bali's Kuta tourist district, killed 202 people, 88 of whom were Australian.
More than 30 people have been jailed for the attacks, which have been blamed on the South East Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiah.
Amrozi, Mukhlas and Imam Samudra have been found guilty of major roles and have already confessed.
But in August, Indonesia delayed their executions after lawyers complained legal avenues had not been exhausted.
Story from BBC NEWS:
news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5370994.stm
Three Indonesian militants facing execution for the 2002 Bali bombings want to be beheaded rather than killed by firing squad, their lawyer has said.
The three - Amrozi, Mukhlas and Imam Samudra - are expected to include the request in an appeal to the Supreme Court.
Their lawyer, Muhammad Mahendradatta, said beheading was a more humane form of punishment than firing squad.
Their execution was postponed last month to allow for a final appeal.
"Our clients would seek to have a more humane capital punishment. It should be done in accordance with Islamic law, which is by beheading," Muhammad Mahendradatta told the Associated Press news agency.
He said death by firing squad was inhumane because the men would suffer for at least two minutes before dying, which he called "torture".
However Indonesian law insists capital punishment be carried out by a firing squad.
Judicial review
News of their appeal follows the execution of three Christian militants convicted of masterminding a series of attacks on Muslims in Sulawesi, Indonesia.
The three - Fabianus Tibo, Marianus Riwu and Dominggus da Silva - were shot before dawn on Friday morning, police officers said.
Mr Mahendradatta believed the execution could lead to efforts to speed up the punishment against the Bali bombers.
"We are alert because the strategy now is going after Amrozi and company," he told the Reuters news agency.
The 12 October 2002 nightclub bombings, in Bali's Kuta tourist district, killed 202 people, 88 of whom were Australian.
More than 30 people have been jailed for the attacks, which have been blamed on the South East Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiah.
Amrozi, Mukhlas and Imam Samudra have been found guilty of major roles and have already confessed.
But in August, Indonesia delayed their executions after lawyers complained legal avenues had not been exhausted.
Story from BBC NEWS:
news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5370994.stm