Posted on 07/22/2004 11:21:27 PM PDT by wretchard
Friday, July 23, 2004 Posted: 1:35 AM EDT (0535 GMT)
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesia's highest court has ruled a tough new anti-terror law used to convict the Bali bombers is unconstitutional.
The country's Constitutional Court on Friday said the law violated Indonesia's 1945 constitution, which states that laws cannot be applied retroactively.
The ruling has thrown into uncertainty the convictions handed down to dozens of militants involved in the 2002 Bali bombings.
Lawyers for Masykur Abdul Kadir, who last year was sentenced to 15 years in jail for his role in the blasts, successfully appealed that the anti-terror law used to convict him was passed after the attacks took place and therefore violated the constitution.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
"The country's Constitutional Court on Friday said the law violated Indonesia's 1945 constitution, which states that laws cannot be applied retroactively."
I can't quarrel with the substance of this ruling, it is a basic tenent of our own laws. OTOH, 15 years hardly seems like a long enough sentence. And what about just trying these evildoers for conspiracy to commit murder? I'm pretty sure that's always been illegal, in Indonesia as well as other jurisdictions.
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