•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   

Indonesian human rights activists say they plan to petition the US government during Barack Obama’s visit to transfer terror suspect Hambali from Guantanamo Bay to Indonesia.

Center for Indonesian Reform director Sapto Waluyo told Metro TV on Thursday that access to Hambali could help Indonesia gain more information about local and regional terrorism. Riefqi Muna of the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) said the release would support the idea that human rights must be respected in the struggle against extremists.

Hambali revived his legal bid to be released from the U.S. terror suspect detention center last week, according to the Reuters news agency. He is accused of helping plan the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people, and of being a senior member of the regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah. U.S. authorities say he has admitted that 17 of his operatives were being groomed for attacks in the United States.

A U.S. Justice Department spokesman said no final decision has been made on whether to prosecute Hambali in a military court or in a U.S. federal court.

There are currently 188 prisoners at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. While some prisoners have been released, the Obama administration’s efforts to close the prison have been delayed due to the sensitive question of where to transfer those who will continue to be held pending trial.


JG