Families angry over Bali acquittal
Roger Maynard in Sydney
Saturday December 23, 2006
Guardian
The relatives of Australians killed in the Bali bombings condemned the Indonesian supreme court's decision to clear the Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir yesterday of any involvement in the 2002 attack.
He was released from a Jakarta prison in June after serving nearly 26 months of a two and a half year sentence for terrorist conspiracy charges.
The court's ruling prompted a nationwide outpouring of anger in Australia, where the emotional wounds of the Bali terrorist attack have yet to heal. The bombing killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
Mark Stuart, who lost his son in the bombings, said the whole world knew that Mr Bashir was responsible. "He's going to kill more people without even thinking," he said.
Mr Bashir spoke to journalists at his hardline Islamic boarding school in the central Javanese town of Solo, praising the court ruling as an act of defiance against the US.
Many countries and courts "are too afraid to stand up to the United States, but the supreme court decision is honest and brave," he said, adding that he was considering filing a lawsuit to rehabilitate his name and seek damages.
Australian leaders from both sides of the political divide also admitted they were upset about the ruling but said they were powerless to intervene. The prime minister, John Howard, said he felt deeply for the victims' families, but had to accept the Indonesian court's decision.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329670399-110732,00.html
Roger Maynard in Sydney
Saturday December 23, 2006
Guardian
The relatives of Australians killed in the Bali bombings condemned the Indonesian supreme court's decision to clear the Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir yesterday of any involvement in the 2002 attack.
He was released from a Jakarta prison in June after serving nearly 26 months of a two and a half year sentence for terrorist conspiracy charges.
The court's ruling prompted a nationwide outpouring of anger in Australia, where the emotional wounds of the Bali terrorist attack have yet to heal. The bombing killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
Mark Stuart, who lost his son in the bombings, said the whole world knew that Mr Bashir was responsible. "He's going to kill more people without even thinking," he said.
Mr Bashir spoke to journalists at his hardline Islamic boarding school in the central Javanese town of Solo, praising the court ruling as an act of defiance against the US.
Many countries and courts "are too afraid to stand up to the United States, but the supreme court decision is honest and brave," he said, adding that he was considering filing a lawsuit to rehabilitate his name and seek damages.
Australian leaders from both sides of the political divide also admitted they were upset about the ruling but said they were powerless to intervene. The prime minister, John Howard, said he felt deeply for the victims' families, but had to accept the Indonesian court's decision.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329670399-110732,00.html