Sentence Reduction for Bali Bombers ? ? ?

[rhondo]

BANGKOK POST 8/17/06

Bali bombers get prison sentence cut

Denpasar, Bali (dpa) - In a move to mark the country's 61st Independence Day, Indonesia on Thursday reduced by 4 months the prison terms for nine Islamic militants involved in the 2002 Bali bombings.

"We have cut the sentence for nine out of 13 of them, and have given each a 4-month reduction," Ilham Djaya, head of Kerobokan prison in Denpasar told reporters, adding that their reduction was due to good behaviour. :cry:

Serving sentences between five and 16 years, the nine prisoners were convicted on charges ranging from robbery to fund the blasts to giving refuge to key perpetrators. :cry:

The reductions allowed one militant, Puryanto, to walk free from a prison in the East Kalimantan provincial capital of Balikpapan. He was sentenced to 4 years, 8 months in prison for helping to shelter one of the key perpetrators in the attacks and had served all but three months. :cry:

The four other militants are serving life sentences and were not eligible for a reduction, while three more remain on death row and were scheduled to be executed soon.

Thirty-three people were jailed for involvement in the 2002 blasts, which killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists, including 88 Australians. :(

Australians who lost loves ones in the bombings reacted with anger to the reduced sentences.

"I want people to know that this is ridiculous, these short sentences," said David Stewart, whose son Anthony was one of 88 Australians killed in the bombings that claimed 202 lives.

Perth resident Alan Lindsay, whose son Aaron survived the bombings, said the sentence reductions were a disgrace. "It is a slap in the face, it just brings back all the memories,"

It is an Indonesian tradition to reduce jail terms on Independence Day and the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, with thousands of prisoners getting their sentences reduced.

Two other noted inmates, Australians Schapelle Corby and Renae Lawrence, received short sentence reductions, Djaya said.

Corby, 29, who has lodged a final appeal against her conviction and 20-year sentence for smuggling 4.1 kilograms of marijuana onto Bali in 2005, will receive a two-month reduction. Lawrence, 28, had one month cut from a 20-year sentence for her role in a group attempt to smuggle 8.3 kilograms of heroin out of Bali and into Australia last year.

Both cases drew international attention, and the Corby case strained relations between Indonesia and Australia amid claims by the woman that the drugs were planted in her bag by Australian airport baggage handlers who were part of a smuggling syndicate.

Meanwhile, Indonesia observed its annual independence day from the Netherlands with celebrations across the country, including the annual military parade at the State Palace in Jakarta presided over by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

During his customary presidential address to parliament on the eve of Independence Day, an upbeat Yudhoyono said the country's economy was growing and that his government would increase spending on poverty reduction and health care.

So what type of a message does that send ? :?:

[rhondo]

Thursday, August 17, 2006
Bali victim's father condemns Indonesia for reducing terrorists' sentences

ASSOCIATED PRESS in Canberra
Updated at 12.24pm:
Reductions in sentences for nine Islamic militants imprisoned in Indonesia for the Bali bombings show that the Indonesian government is not serious about fighting terrorism, the father of an Australian victim said on Thursday.

Lawyer Brian Deegan, whose son Josh, 21, was among 202 people killed in the attack on the Indonesian tourist island on October 12, 2002, said the remissions were painful for victims and their families. Eighty-eight of those killed were Australians.

"This shows that the Indonesians aren't serious about fighting terrorism," Mr Deegan said.

He said he was surprised since Indonesia had agreed to review its system of automatic remissions after Canberra complained that terrorists should serve their full sentences.

The militants has their sentences reduced because it is national independence day. It is an Indonesian tradition to cut jail terms on holidays.

[nickbo]

These reductions of the sentences are ridiculous!!
How can we trust in Indonesian will about fighting terrorism?
How can I respond to all my friends that states :cry: that Bali is a sort of PARADISE LOST? :cry: :cry:

[Roy]

This custom of reducing prison sentences around Independence Day and Idul Fitri (sp?) is customary in Indonesia regardless of the types of crimes one is convicted, and is serving time. Conceptually, it is not that different than the US parole system. There, one can receive a 20 year prison sentence for second degree murder, be eligible for parole in 5 years and possibly be released as early as that. As the initial article mentioned, even foreigners serving time here are eligible for sentence reductions under this system.

It is very typical of the Australian press to jump all over Indonesia’s back whenever it suits them to “stir the pot.”

An essential part of any democracy’s judicial and penal system should encompass the desired goals of rehabilitation and the eventual re-introduction of convicted criminals into society as productive and law abiding citizens.

Why some Australians may think that Indonesia should be any different is beyond me.

[charlie]

It was reported here that corby had hers reduced by a month and lawrence by two months.... over their total sentences it's not a lot for them to get excited about... it's almost comical and not worth the hype the aussie press put out about it ...

[ChadM]

Why some Australians may think that Indonesia should be any different is beyond me.

Roy, you're quite intelligent enough to know that it's an (understandably) emotional reaction, not a pragmatic, well-reasoned one. I suspect that anyone, you or I included, would react similarly had we lost a child or spouse in those horrific bombings. My personal opinion is that the sentences were far too light to begin with.

[Roy]

Chad, I agree 100% that this is an emotionally charged issue, and one that is perhaps too emotional to have a chance of rational discussion. However, no amount of emotion should give the Australian press free reign to point to these sentence reductions as evidence that Indonesia is not serious about combating terrorism...even if only through quotes allegedly made by a family member of a victim. That is irresponsible and entirely inaccurate. Moreover, this kind of crap (against Indonesia) from the Australian press has played out over and over in many past years, most recently in the Tim Tim fiasco and the Corby case. I can assure you that not only is this aggravating to Indonesians, but it is equally aggravating to a whole host of expats here, including many Australian expats.

As for the sentences as they involve these particular people, they were within the guidelines for sentencing given the peripheral roles many of these defendants had in perpetrating this horrendous crime. Don’t forget, the three main “players” of this crime sit on death row, awaiting their executions scheduled for later this August...and also don’t forget that if they had been tried in Australia, they would have NEVER received the death sentence, as it is outlawed in Australia.

My point remains the same, and that is that the actions taken to reduce by a few months the several to many year sentences dished out is 100% in keeping with the Indonesian judicial system, and not unlike the parole system used by other democratic nations.

And yes, I know there are hosts of family members of murder victims in the US who get very angry when they learn that the perpetrator, or others involved with the murder of their loved one is later paroled....and for “good behavior.” I’m sure the irony of that must be unbearable.

If you know of a better system, I suggest you run for office, and make some changes. I know it’s not perfect, but it is the system chosen under democratic principles, so we have to either live with it, or change it from within. That’s it.

[DCC]

I think the issue is not the prison term reductions but rather the penalties for any actions associated with terrorism, which should be extreme. And efforts to combat terroism against foriegn nationals is open to world debate, and a free press has "free reign" to do as it pleases. Polls showing that nearly 20% of muslims on Java support Bali bombings is indicative of the little to no effort taken to change the hearts and minds of haters. Is anyone aware of any significant, post bombing, efforts by the Gov. to promote tolerance and understanding. Despite the progress made by the Indo Gov. some people give it far more credit than it warrents. From my conversations with my neighbors, I get the very strong impression that they are not happy with, nor confidant in, Jakarta with respect to protecting Bali, which incidentally has suffered more than anyone when it comes to terror against foreigners in Indonesia.

[Jimbo]

First I agreed with Roy and the agreed with DCC and in the end believe both are right. I do not see the papers in Austrailia but do read the snippets of information gathered by Berts Ebots.

My conclusion is that the Oz papers try to stir reactions based upon emotions to sell papers much the same as the tabloids do in other countries.

To quote: to err is human, forgivenes is divine although I accept is a much harder thing to do especially if you are personally affected.

[Roy]

DCC writes:

“I think the issue is not the prison term reductions but rather the penalties for any actions associated with terrorism, which should be extreme. And efforts to combat terroism against foriegn nationals is open to world debate, and a free press has "free reign" to do as it pleases.”

I agree, the penalties for terrorism should be extreme, just as the act itself is extreme. At the time when the first Bali bombers were tried, there were no specific anti-terrorist laws on the books here in Indonesia. Prior to 911, the same was true in the states. Thus, here in Indonesia, the only crimes that these terrorists could be tried on were the existing laws in place at the time the crime was committed.

If you follow Indonesian current events then you should know that even Abu Bakar Bashir could not be tried for the Bali bombing because it would constitute a retro-active use of a law enacted AFTER the fact. Like it or not, that was a valid ruling by the judicial process in a democracy.

As for a free press having free reign to do as it pleases....I could not disagree more.

“Polls showing that nearly 20% of muslims on Java support Bali bombings is indicative of the little to no effort taken to change the hearts and minds of haters.”

Come on mate! We’ve already been over this BS poll. :evil:

“Is anyone aware of any significant, post bombing, efforts by the Gov. to promote tolerance and understanding.”

No I think Indonesia is following the US and Great Britain’s lead on this one! I think they also call it “winning the hearts and minds.” :P

“Despite the progress made by the Indo Gov. some people give it far more credit than it warrents.”

Really? Care to elaborate? :shock:

“From my conversations with my neighbors, I get the very strong impression that they are not happy with, nor confidant in, Jakarta with respect to protecting Bali, which incidentally has suffered more than anyone when it comes to terror against foreigners in Indonesia.”

From conversations with my villagers, they are very quick to point out that they have NEVER relied on Jakarta to protect Bali. That is nothing new my friend!

I have no idea how long you have been on Bali, but anyone who has been here for a long while, certainly before any of this terrorism came home to roost, can point to many security measuring being in place that were never here before. Just try driving into the entrance of any major hotel facility here. There are security checkpoints at most all of them. Try picking your kid up at an international school. You are stopped and verified by security, often before you drive into the school area. Some schools have even abandoned uniforms for their students so as not to make them so identifiable. There is lots more, but you can do your own homework.

If you feel particularly unsafe here in Bali, I am happy to report that all the major airlines are still operating flights out of Bali.