The three men who planned and carrier out the 2002 bombings of Bali nightclubs will be executed within 72 hours, according to Indonesia’s attorney general.
The attacks killed 202 people in the crowded tourist area of Kuta. The bombers, Imam Samudra, Amrozi Nurhasyim and Ali Ghufron have exhausted their appeals. They were actually sentenced to death more than five years ago. In a final legal stand, the condemned men asked the courts to change the method of execution. The three wanted to be beheaded rather than executed by firing squad, but Indonesia’s Constitutional Court rejected the idea.
Bali’s tourism industry has recovered well from the bombing. The island took a major step when it hosted the high profile United Nations Climate Change Conference last year. But the executions might bring back some old ghosts. Officials are worried that there could be a backlash. The bombers are not popular in Indonesia, but fundamentalist religious groups could take to the streets to show their objection to the execution of the bombers.