Bali bombers lose appeal

The Bali bombers could hear the date of their execution on Friday having lost their appeal against death by firing squad.

Agus Purwanto, left, and Parmin, two of three senior militants who allegedly aided top operatives from Jemaah Islamiyah JI, are escorted by plain clothes police before their trial at the Central Jakarta court on Oct 20 2008.
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JAKARTA, Indonesia // A top Indonesian court has rejected a claim by three convicted Bali bombers that their executions by firing squad would violate the constitution. The Constitutional Court dismissed their request for a traditional Islamic-style beheading. Presiding Judge Mohammad Mahfud said today that judges rejected an assertion by the men's lawyer that being shot to death is inhumane. He said "there is no method of execution without pain." The 2002 Bali nightclub bombings killed 202 people, most of the Australian tourists. The convicts, Amrozi Nurhasyim, Ali Gufron and Imam Samudra, have exhausted all appeals and are expected to be executed this year. The bombings - carried out by the regional militant group Jemaah Islamiyah - thrust Southeast Asia into the war on terror.

*AP