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| Southeast Asia |
| New Bali trial opens |
| 2003-07-21 |
| EFL The trial of the fourth key suspect accused of involvement in last year’s Bali bombings has opened on the island. Ali Imron, a 30-year-old Indonesian, has admitted building one of the two bombs that destroyed a nightclub in October, killing 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. Unlike the other suspects, Ali Imron has expressed regret for the bombings. He appeared in court in a Western-style suit and sat quietly as charges were read. Earlier, the court said that the first suspect to go on trial — Amrozi - will be given his verdict on 7 August. Mark your calendar. Ali Imron’s lawyer says his client is not like the other defendants — who have shown no remorse. "He believes that jihad in Bali is wrong," the lawyer said. "He is not proud of what he did." Shortly after his arrest, Imron took part in a news conference organised by Indonesian police, in which he demonstrated how he and others assembled the bombs. He said he felt sorry for the families of the victims — most of whom were Australians — but that the US and its allies were legitimate targets. On Sunday his lawyer said Imron was asking forgiveness from the victims’ families, and suggested that he was expecting his client to receive the death penalty. "If he feels that society has forgiven him, he will happily receive a death sentence," he said. We won’t forgive him and we don’t care if he’s happy or not. Last week, Imam Samudra told the court that the attacks were justified under Islam because they avenged the deaths of innocent Muslims. He admits that he was involved in the bombings but denies that he masterminded them. That’s OK, we shoot cannon fodder as well as masterminds. |
| Posted by:Steve |