Posted on 08/04/2003 9:31:37 AM PDT by knighthawk
AMROZI has told his lawyers not to appeal against the death sentence he expects to receive on Thursday, claiming death will fulfil a boyhood dream - martyrdom.
The best-known face of the Bali bombers has also said he was concerned Westerners might think he was scared if he appealed against his sentence.
Amrozi's legal team has told judges at the Denpasar trial of their concern over his wish to waive his rights. Normally an appeal to the Supreme Court of Indonesia would be an automatic response to a sentence of death or life imprisonment.
Under those circumstances, an appeal could take as long as six months to be heard and the execution of the death sentence as long as three years.
If Amrozi does become the first person sentenced to death in Bali, the timing of his execution will fall into the hands of the prosecutors.
There is a strong political will in Jakarta to be seen to deal with the perpetrators of last October's blasts in Bali as quickly and transparently as possible. That will is reinforced by the fact Indonesia's politicians face a general election next year, with one of the pivotal issues being their readiness to confront the menacing reality of Islamic radicalism.
Amrozi would meet death in front of a firing squad of 10 police officers, only one of whom would fire a live round. Blank rounds would be placed in the rifles of the rest of the contingent and no one would be told who fired the fatal shot.
Police in Bali have suggested the execution would be carried out in secret in a forest. However, high-profile executions in Indonesia are often an all-encompassing affair, with investigators, politicians and journalists invited to attend.
Amrozi declined yesterday to give evidence at the trial of his estranged younger brother Ali Imron, using a caveat under Indonesian law that entitles a direct relative to avoid testifying against another.
Ali Imron had earlier chosen to ignore the same clause and gave damning evidence against Amrozi and their elder brother Mukhlas, a decision that has led to their falling out.
Imam Samudra, the firebrand alleged leader of the Bali conspiracy, chastised his one-time acolyte, Ali Imron, for not shouting a reply to his Islamic chants and for not growing a beard in the likeness of Mohammed.
Master of the bleedin' obvious
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