Three Muslim militants on death row for their roles in the 2002 Bali bombings filed a second appeal Wednesday with the Indonesian Supreme Court, seen by many as a move to delay their execution. The three militants - Imam Samudra, Mukhlas, alias Ali Ghufron, and Amrozi - face a firing squad for their roles in the 2002 bombings of two nightspots on the Indonesian tourist resort of Bali that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. The country's Supreme Court rejected their last appeal in September. Representing the three, lawyer Fachmi Bachmid submitted documents Wednesday to the Bali's Denpasar District Court, where the three were originally tried and convicted, requesting another judicial review of their case by the Supreme Court. In addition, the lawyer also demanded the hearing be moved to Cilacap district, close to the Nusakambangan prison island, where the three were being jailed while awaiting execution.
BD Nainggolan, spokesman of the Indonesian attorney general, had said that another judicial review request would slow execution proceedings unless it was rejected straight away.
Indonesian law makes no provision for a second judicial review for such cases. Bachmid argued that the lawsuit challenges retroactive laws under which the men were convicted, and will argue that their first judicial review was flawed. "This is serious because we consider that there's been a violation to the constitution, legal procedure and to human rights," Bachmid told reporters. "So, what we're trying to do is to straighten up the law."
Last week, lawyer Achmad Michdan also sought to challenge the retroactive laws used to convict the men and the distribution of documents, along with the 30-day deadline set for the trio to seek clemency. On January 2, prosecutors visited the prison to hand the death row inmates copies of the Supreme Court decision rejecting their demand for a case review, marking the start of the 30-day time limit to seek clemency. The deadline is due to run out within days and the three have repeatedly told media they would not be seeking a pardon.