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Death no deterrent: terrorism experts
No escape: Aman Abdurrahman leaves the courtroom after the panel of judges at the South Jakarta District Court sentenced him to death on Friday
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o escape: Aman Abdurrahman leaves the courtroom after the panel of judges at the South Jakarta District Court sentenced him to death on Friday. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
Terrorism experts and civil rights organizations have spoken out against the death sentence handed to radical Muslim cleric Aman Abdurrahman on Friday, arguing that capital punishment is ineffective and risky for Indonesia’s fight against terrorism.
Speaking to The Jakarta Post following the decision, Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) director Sidney Jones said the death penalty was never an appropriate punishment and should be abolished for all crimes everywhere.
“It would be better to give him life imprisonment and perhaps open the possibility for the government to exploit divisions in the extremist movement,” she said over the phone.
There is also a risk of the cleric becoming a martyr, experts have claimed.
The death sentence alone would not make him a martyr among his disciples but an execution would, Jones said.
Robi Sugara, executive director of the Indonesia Muslim Crisis Center (IMC2), pointed out that executed terror convicts had been celebrated as martyrs in the past.
“The Bali bombing trio — Imam Samudra, Mukhlas, and Amrozi — were celebrated as martyrs by loyal followers after their execution,” he said, adding that an execution might inspire Aman’s disciples to exact revenge on state personnel.
“I think the judges should have a better understanding of the dynamics of the terrorist movement.”
Ricky Gunawan, director of the Community Legal Aid Institute (LBH Masyarakat), released a statement on Friday condemning the death penalty as a reactionary response toward Aman’s crime.
“The death penalty gives the illusion that it can prevent rampant terror attacks,” he said in the statement. “Terrorism is a complex crime, and it needs a sustainable and holistic solution.”
He said an option for Aman in lieu of the death penalty was a life sentence and deradicalization.
Responding to the South Jakarta District Court’s decision, Amnesty International’s Usman Hamid said imprisonment had been proven to have a greater deterrent effect than capital punishment.
“This is a fact that also applies to terror-related crimes,” Usman said in a statement.
However, State Intelligence Agency (BIN) deputy chief, Lt. Gen. Teddy Lhaksmana expressed his doubts that the sentence would provoke other jihadists to retaliate.
“I believe it won’t [inspire a retaliation] and [such attacks] can be anticipated,” Teddy told journalists in Jakarta on Friday.
He then urged the public to remain vigilant against possible acts of terrorism.
A panel of five judges declared Aman guilty for inciting others to commit terror attacks.
These include the 2016 bombing and shooting on Jl. MH Thamrin, the 2017 Kampung Melayu attacks in East Jakarta and the Samarinda church attack in East Kalimantan. A total of 14 people were killed in the incidents, while dozens others were injured.
Dwi Siti Rhomdoni, also known as Dwieky, a survivor of the Thamrin attack, praised the authorities for their work and believed Aman’s sentence was in line with the law.
“Looking at all the evidence, I think the sentence is suitable for him,” she told the Post over the phone of Friday.
Dwieky was at a Starbucks café in Thamrin when one of the bombs exploded four meters from where she was sitting. Her neck was fractured in the blast, and to this day, she still experiences dizziness and difficulty breathing, which often causes her to lose consciousness.
Dwiedky said she regularly met with her doctors and psychologist to cope with her pain and trauma.
She is now the spokesperson for Sahabat Thamrin, a support group for survivors of the attack.
Aman Abdurrahman’s road to capital punishment
* March 21, 2004: Aman Abdurrahman alias Oman Rochman is arrested for his involvement in the Cimanggis explosion. The bomb, prepared by his group, prematurely detonated at the group’s hideout in Cimanggis, Depok, West Java.
* Feb. 2, 2005: Aman is sentenced to seven years in prison for possessing explosive materials. He meets Abu Bakar Baashir in prison.
* June 2008: Aman is released after being given remission for good behavior.
* Dec. 2010: Aman is arrested for financially supporting a terrorist group’s military training camp in Jantho, Aceh Besar. The group was formed as a result of a collaboration between Aman and Baashir.
* Dec. 20, 2010: Aman is sentenced to nine years in prison by the West Jakarta District Court. He is imprisoned on Nusakambangan, a prison island off the shores of Cilacap, Central Java.
* Aug. 13, 2017: Aman is supposed to be freed from prison after he is granted a reduced sentence by the Law and Human Rights Ministry, but he is arrested just a few days before he is due to be released by the National Police for his suspected role in the deadly Thamrin bombing on Jan. 14, 2016.
* Feb. 15, 2018: Aman has his first trial at the South Jakarta District Court for several terror attack indictments.
* May 18, 2018: Prosecutors at the South Jakarta District Court demand that pro-Islamic State group cleric Aman Abdurrahman be sentenced to death for inspiring a series of terror attacks on Indonesian soil.
* May 25, 2018: During his defence at a hearing, Aman Abdurrahman condemns the suicide bombings in Surabaya, East Java, declaring them unIslamic.
* June 22, 2018: The South Jakarta District Court sentences Aman Abdurrahman to death. The judges find him guilty of inciting others to carry out at least five terror attacks, including the Thamrin attacks in Central Jakarta in 2016 and the Kampung Melayu bombings in East Jakarta in 2017.
