he three militants on death row for the 2002 Bali bomb attacks will be executed in early November, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) announced Friday.
"Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, Ali Gufron and Imam Samudra have exhausted all legal avenues, and the necessary formal and material requirements (for the executions to proceed) have all been fulfilled," AGO spokesman Jasman Pandjaitan said at a press conference.
However, he declined to specify a date for the executions.
Jasman said the three Bali bombers would face firing squads at the maximum security prison island of Nusakambangan in Cilacap regency, Central Java, where they are currently being held.
"The Justice and Human Rights Ministry has approved the location for the executions," he said.
Amrozi, Ali and Imam were convicted for their key roles in the bombings of two nightclubs in Kuta, Bali, on Oct. 12, 2002, in which 202 people were killed, mostly foreign tourists.
Earlier this week, the Constitutional Court rejected a request from the three bombers to review the method of execution.
Lawyers for the three had argued that execution by firing squad did not guarantee instant death and would thus be a form of torture, thereby violating the country’s constitutional ban on torture.
The three Islamists requested they be beheaded instead, arguing this was more humane than being shot to death.
The court ruled an execution by firing squad, as stipulated by the 1964 law on executions, did not violate the Constitution because "any pain caused by the shooting is an unavoidable logical consequence, and is not torture", court chief Mahfud MD said Tuesday.
The court ruling cleared the way for the executions to take place.
The government has been criticized for backtracking on previous statements about when the executions would be carried out. Analysts say the executions could see a backlash from the tiny minority of Islamist radicals in the mainly moderate Muslim country.
The executions were delayed several times due to the repeated appeals filed by the bombers.
They were initially slated to be carried out before the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began on September 1.
But this plan was shelved and the government decided to wait until after Ramadan to give the three the chance to fast and celebrate the Muslim holiday of Idul Fitri.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Friday the delay in the executions was only because the government was looking for the right moment.
"Each execution should be considered very carefully and done at the right moment. It does not mean the government is hesitant," he said.
Kalla cited as example the execution of Sumiarsih, convicted of killing an army officer. He was on death row for 20 years before being executed.
The Bali bombers are linked to the militant Islamist group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), although they deny being JI members.
JI is suspected of carrying out the 2003 bombing of the JW Marriot Hotel in Jakarta, the 2004 Australian Embassy attack in Jakarta and the second Bali bombing in October 2005.