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Fury that court ruling might free Bali bombers
Bali bombing victims were furious last night over an Indonesian court decision that could free convicted bombers. The Constitutional Court ruled that the country's tough anti-terror laws were unconstitutional. The verdict is expected to prompt a rush of appeals among the 32 convicted terrorists and has sparked fears among families affected by the bombings in October 2002. Blast survivor Gary Nash said he was bewildered by the decision. "To be quite honest it doesn't surprise me one little bit as I've said all along I don't believe these guys will ever be prosecuted or executed," he said. "Eventually it will just drag out and drag out and the finish will be (that) in a couple of years they will be released from jail."Kingsley Football Club coach Simon Quayle said he feared the bombers would eventually be back walking the streets which would leave the world, and particularly Australians, living in fear. "When I first heard about it I was in shock, thinking, 'No, it can't have happened, they couldn't have let this happen'," he said. "I have no doubt if in six months, a year, a week these blokes, for some obscure reason get out, the world will suffer." The court ruling came on an appeal lodged by lawyers for Masykur Abdul Kadir, who was jailed last year for 15 years for providing transport and accommodation for the bombers. Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer played down the likelihood of any bombers walking free, saying the decision related only to Masykur's case and the Bali High Court would have the final say. "It's not being extrapolated by court officials or by the Indonesian Government to other cases," Mr Downer said. "Second, it's an advisory opinion by the Constitutional Court, so it doesn't mean that the particular person, the appellant in this case, is to be released." Mr Downer said the Indonesian Government shared Australia's concern that the convictions should stand for the people who killed 212 people, 88 of them Australians. "If they get overturned on some technicality in an appeal, well in those circumstances we'll be working with the Indonesian Government encouraging them to bring fresh charges." Associate Professor Tim Lindsey, director of Melbourne University Asian Law Centre, said he believed the decision would result in most of the Bali bombers being released but immediately rearrested and successfully convicted under other laws. He said Masykur's appeal was based on a 2000 law which made it unconstitutional to legislate retrospectively against crimes. Posted by: TS(vice girl) 2004-07-23 |
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