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September 29, 2006

Cambodia: Three Islamists Get Life Sentences

News from AFP via the Nation, DPA via the Bangkok Post and Playfuls.com, Associated Press via International Herald Tribune and Xinhua via People's Daily reports that today, an appeals court has upheld the life sentences handed out to three Muslims.

One of the convicted men is a Cambodian, while the other two are Thai Muslims. They were first given their life sentences two years ago by Phnom Penh Municipal Court for conspiracy to cause terrorist attacks against foreign targets in Cambodia.

Lawyer Kov Soupha said that he would next week be filing an appeal in the Supreme Court against the sentences of Cambodian Sman Ismael, and Thais Abdul Azi Haji Chiming and Muhammad Yalaludin Mading. The three individuals had been former teachers at an Islamic school on the outskirts of Pnomh Penh.

The three were charged with plotting the attacks between 2002 and 2003, working in conjunction with Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin, also known as Hambali, who was formerly a chief operative of the Indonesia-based terror group Jemaah Islamiyah. Hambali (pictured) had been arrested in Thailand on 15 August 2003. Hambali was involved in a 1995 plot to bomb 11 U.S. commercial airliners in Asia (Operation Bojinka) and directed the late-2001 foiled plot to attack U.S. and Western interests in Singapore. He was handed to the US authorities and was held in a secret location until he was recently transferred to Guantanamo.

Hambali has a Cambodian wife and had spent extended periods inside Cambodia. When the three others were given life sentences in 2004, Hambali and two other associates, an Egyptian and a Malaysian, were also found guilty and given a life sentence in absentia.

Appeals Court Judge Thou Mony, who presided over a three judge panel, said today that the Cambodian, Sman Ismael, had helped to arrange a Cambodian visa for Hambali as well as arranging his travels during his stay in the country. The two Thais had bought telephones and made other arrangements for the terror leader.

Judge Mony said: "Having seen that there is sufficient ground of guilt in their attempts to commit terrorism, the decision is to uphold the verdict issued against them by the lower court."

UPDATE: Hambali is an Indonesian national. The Jakarta Post reports that the Indonesian vice president, Jusuf Kalla, has expressed his displeasure with the US authorities for not allowing free access to Hambali. He said on Wednesday, after a meeting with U.S. Vice President Richard Cheney and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley: "I don't understand why the U.S. is being difficult in granting us access to Hambali. I have requested access, but they appear to be very reluctant to disclose the simplest form of information about Hambali. Why is it so difficult for the Americans to grant us access?"

Indonesian Deputy Chief of Mission to the United States Andri Hadi has also raised the issue through the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, and says: "The Embassy has requested access to Hambali as we are responsible for our citizens' individual rights being fulfilled." He said that the US was "considering our request."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at September 29, 2006 4:53 PM

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