By Karen Michelmore in Jakarta | July 21, 2008
THREE death-row Bali bombers will be executed "as soon as possible," Indonesia's attorney general said today after the Islamic militants declined to seek clemency from the President.
Hendarman Supandji said he hoped that so-called "smiling assassin" Amrozi, his brother Mukhlas and Imam Samudra would be executed before the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan in September.The three bombers face death by firing squad for their roles in the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians and three New Zealanders.
"We want it as soon as possible," Mr Supandji he said.
"Legally they can be executed because they won't submit a request for clemency. The legal effort is finished."
Families of Australian victims say they have been told by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) that the executions are imminent.
Indonesia's Supreme Court recently dismissed the trio's final legal challenge.
The country appears to be ramping up its use of the death penalty, despite a global push to eliminate state-sanctioned executions.
Three prisoners were executed at the weekend, including a mother and son who murdered a family 20 years ago.
Indonesia has now executed six prisoners in less than a month. It resumed executions in June after a 14-month lapse.
Mr Supandji said he could not give a specific time for the bombers' executions.
"It could be next month, or the end of this month or the end of next month," he said.
"It depends on the process from Denpasar District Court, the prosecutor's office and the Attorney
General's office. My hope would be before the fasting month."
Mr Supandji said as far as he was concerned the bombers had waived all rights to seek clemency from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
"We have offered it in writing to them and to their families and both have refused it," he said.
Some Australians who lost family members in Bali say they will celebrate the bombers' executions but others remain opposed, including former Adelaide magistrate Brian Deegan who lost his son Joshua.
Mr Deegan has written an open letter to Indonesian authorities saying "no good, only harm" will come from the executions.
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark today said she did not support the executions, despite the "heinous crimes" of the three.
Indonesian human rights campaigner Usman Hamid said he suspected Indonesia was using the rash of recent executions to deflect attention from a corruption scandal inside the Attorney General's office and other government agencies.
"There is an increasing number of cases about bribery (among) the law enforcement officials ... the law enforcement agencies are (suffering a) crisis of their credibility," Mr Hamid said.
"Law enforcement agencies ... and the Government are trying to use the cases of (the) death penalty ... to have more credibility.
"This is wrong. If the Government wants to be seen as a strong government, with a strong law enforcement process, it should ... reform the judiciary, reform (the) prosecutors."
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