Samudra scoffs at death decree

IMAM Samudra yesterday became the second Bali bomber to be sentenced to death by firing squad for his role in the October 12 atrocity.

Earlier, during the four-and-a-half-hour sentencing, he had dramatically blocked his ears when Christian Judge Liston Sirait read to him a passage from Pope John Paul, which warned that the Government was the servant of God and had the right to punish wrongdoers for their actions.

After his antics, aimed at illustrating his deep contempt for Christians and the West, Samudra resumed his earlier pose of boredom and nonchalance, lounging back in his chair to hear the rest of his judgment.

"The accused, during the hearing in the trial has never felt sorry or guilty ... the actions of the accused are an extraordinary crime and a crime against humanity ... there are no mitigating factors for the accused," Judge Ifa Sudewi said.

"The actions of the accused caused deep suffering for victims' families, especially for wives left by their husbands because they have to take care of their lives and their children's expenses.

"The crime of Imam Samudra, the bombing in Sari Club and Paddy's Bar, is an inhumane crime committed in his own country ... the actions of the accused and his group are very cruel and uncivilised and inhumane. From the teachings of the Muslim religion this action is forbidden and hated by Allah."

She said that Indonesia and Bali were still suffering financially and many people had lost loved ones to the bombing.

Samudra had sat bored and indifferent throughout the judgment - his only reaction at the end when Chief Judge Wayan Sugawa said: "Deliver the sentence to the accused Imam Samudra: Death".

During the verdict the judges had also read passages to him from his own holy book, the al Koran, and the Hindu holy book, teaching about love and peace and the crime of killing people, impressing upon him that his homeland was one which fostered understanding among all religions. It was all received passively by Samudra, who appeared not to care.

Judge Sudewi also read to Samudra a poem "from the heart" of famous Indonesian poet Taufik Ismail, called The Appeal of Peacefulness, whose theme was love.

The panel of five judges found Samudra "legally and surely guilty" of intentionally planning and committing an act of terrorism, creating mass victims and fear.

He was also found guilty of orchestrating a jewellery shop robbery to fund the Bali bombing and of involvement in the bombing of several Christian churches on Christmas Eve 2000 on Batam Island, which left scores injured.

The judges found he had played a dominant role in the bombing, describing him as an "intellectual actor", and that the Bali bombing was born out of Samudra's deep hatred for the US and Israel.

Leaving the court and confronted by an Australian flag bearing the photographs and names of the 88 innocent Australians who lost their lives at his hands, Samudra's anger reached boiling point.

"Calm down Kafirs, calm down. Go to hell," he screamed at Melbourne man Jan Laczynski, who had held the Australian flag out to Samudra.

Mr Laczynski, who lost five Balinese friends who worked at the Sari Club, held the flag aloft only metres from Samudra and shouted: "We are proud to be Australian. Take a look at all the people that you killed."

"I feel very vindicated, I feel that I have seen justice being done. I was very happy because he looked at our flag, he looked at these people. Tonight when he sits back in his cell he might actually think about the people that he has killed. He might actually finally start to feel some remorse away from the cameras. Who knows?"

His lawyer Achmad Michdan immediately declared that despite his client being happy with the death sentence, an appeal would be lodged.

* He was brought up in a hard-line Muslim family and educated at Islamic schools, becoming influenced by local independence movement Darul Islam

* In 1991 he quit university and was sent by Darul Islam to learn the art of terrorism in Afghanistan

* After seven months he came home and joined Jemaah Islamiyah, later helping to organise Indonesia's Christmas 2000 church bombings

"He greeted the sentence with euphoric chants of "Allahu Akbar" - God is great."

Let's see if he's still that joyful when the execution rolls around!

...when Christian Judge Liston Sirait read to him a passage from Pope John Paul, which warned that the Government was the servant of God and had the right to punish wrongdoers for their actions.

Nice touch. That must've really pissed him off.

For his last meal, someone should make sure that this man eats some pork. Mix it into his food without telling him. Wait to inform this man of this fact in the last moments of his life....then spring it on him. Is that mean?

Not mean at all. I was thinking an appropriate punishment might be to feed him live to the pigs and let pig biology turn him into pig muscle, bone, blood, poop and urine.

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