Defence opens in trial of key bombing suspect

(23 Jun 2003)
1. Mid shot, judge opening session
2. Wide shot, Bali bomb suspect Ali Ghufron, alias Mukhlas escorted into courtroom, and shouting "God is Great"
3. SOUNDBITE: (Bahasa Indonesia) Ali Ghufron, alias Mukhlas, Bali bomb suspect:
"To uphold human rights, I announce to this court that my written confession is not true. During investigation, I received mental pressure and felt overwhelming fear because I had to experience inhumane and brutal physical torture."
4. Wide shot, Mukhlas speaking at court
5.SOUNDBITE: (Bahasa Indonesia) Ali Ghufron alias Mukhlas, Bali bomb suspect:
"I was given a statement by Imam Samudra (another Bali bomb suspect) that contained a lot of slander (against me).
I was forced to admit to having special meetings with Abu Bakar Bashir. I was also forced to admit to receiving money from Bashir, and there was other slander against me. I was forced to admit that the Bali bombing was carried out under the instruction of Bashir. I was forced to admit that Bashir had provided the funds for Bali bomb because the money I had received from Thailand was not sufficient. I was forced to say that Bashir ordered the bombings in Bali. I was forced to admit that I had been sworn in by Abu Bakar Bashir. I was tortured in many ways. I was stripped naked. This may not be important for someone who doesn't care about respect and pride. But as a Muslim, in the name of Allah, I would rather be shot in the head than stripped of my clothes and my pride."
6. Wide shot, Mukhlas handing over defence argument to judge

STORYLINE:

The man who claims to be operations chief of the Jemaah Islamiyah terror group told a court on Monday that police tortured him into signing a confession that he planned last year's Bali bombings.

Ali Ghufron, one of three alleged Jemaah Islamiyah members on trial for the October 12 attack, said officers beat him 20 times and threatened to send a photograph of his bruised penis to his wife unless he confessed.

He urged the court to ignore the written confession he made while in police custody in which he also said that radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir allegedly ordered the bombings.

Bashir is on trial in Jakarta on separate charges of treason.

Another suspect in the Bali bombings, Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, also claims to have been tortured by police.

Police have denied both allegations.

Ghufron is accused of planning the Bali attack.

He has told a court that he is the operations chief of Jemaah Islamiyah and fought alongside Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in the 1980s.

Thirty-four people have been arrested in connection with the bombings, that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.

The attack has been blamed on Jemaah Islamiyah as part of a campaign to establish an Islamic state in Southeast Asia.

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