From Guantanamo to prison in Malaysia: the repatriation of two of the Bali bombers

They are 48-year-old Mohammed Farik Amin and 47-year-old Mohammed Nazir Lep, who spent - without trial - 18 years in the Cuban prison. They will now have to serve five more after the proceedings in which they pleaded guilty and cooperated with justice. They will undergo a rehabilitation programme.

Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) - Two of the bombers who took part in the 2022 Bali (Indonesia) massacre, in which 202 people, mostly foreign tourists, died, have returned to Malaysia and will undergo a rehabilitation programme while continuing to serve the rest of their sentences in prison.

They are Mohammed Farik Amin, 48, and Mohammed Nazir Lep, 47, who admitted responsibility by pleading guilty to offences such as murder and conspiracy [of a confessional nature], for which they were imprisoned in the notorious Guantanamo prison.

Both are former members of the Islamic extremist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and participated in several attacks, including one on the popular tourist destination island and, a year later, one at the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta.

Both were sentenced to five years in prison in January this year, having already spent 18 years in the maximum security prison on the island of Cuba, subjected to gruelling torture and interrogation.

The US Department of Defence yesterday announced their repatriation from the notorious Guantanamo Bay facility, with them being handed over to the authorities in Kuala Lumpur. In a note posted on its website, the department explained that ‘the two men pleaded guilty before a military commission to multiple offences. These include murder in violation of the law of war, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, conspiracy and destruction of property'.

The Pentagon said the duo cooperated by testifying against Encep Nurjaman, or Hambali, who is believed to be the mastermind of the Bali nightclub attacks and the J.W. Hotel Marriott hotel bombing in Jakarta.

During their 18 years of imprisonment, both never faced trial until the year that is drawing to a close. In January, in a plea bargain, both reached a deal with prosecutors on charges of complicity in the Bali terror attacks.

The US Department of Defence added that in June, the convening authority recommended that both be repatriated or transferred to a third sovereign nation to serve out the remainder of their five-year sentences.

Malaysian Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said that the government had agreed to the return of the two men to their home country on humanitarian grounds, adding that the executive ‘has drawn up a comprehensive reintegration programme for them. The programme includes support, assistance and health checks'.

JI is a Southeast Asian militant group linked to al-Qaeda. Both men were arrested in Thailand in 2003. Mohammed Farik was detained in June, and Mohammed Nazir two months later along with Hambali. In a surprise move, the Islamic extremist movement announced its disbandment on 30 June during a gathering of its senior leaders in Bogor, Indonesia. They expressed their commitment to the state by adhering to the law and promising to renovate their educational institutions to align with traditional Islamic teachings.

One of the worst Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist attacks in Asia, the Bali bombing killed 202 people from over 20 different countries. The attack on the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, on the other hand, killed 12 people and injured 150 others. At present, more than 20 detainees remain at Guantanamo, 15 of whom can be transferred and three others are awaiting review. Despite US President Joe Biden's pledge to resettle eligible detainees, the facility remains open as legal and political challenges affect its status.