Bali nightclub bombers withdraw second appeal of death sentences News
Bali nightclub bombers withdraw second appeal of death sentences

[JURIST] Three Indonesian Islamic militants sentenced to death for their roles in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings [BBC backgrounder] withdrew their second appeal [JURIST report] Monday, after the Cilacap district court refused to grant a change of venue and transport the militants to a district court in Bali. The Indonesian Attorney General's Office said that the militants, Mukhlas, Amrozi, and Imam Samudra [BBC profiles], could still petition for clemency.

In February, the Supreme Court of Indonesia ordered the lower district court [JURIST report] to assemble a panel of judges to review the merits of the militants' appeal. The Supreme Court rejected the Bali bombers' first appeal in December, but accepted a second appeal [JURIST reports] to determine whether the bombers should have been tried under retroactive laws that were not in effect when the bombings took place. AAP has more.