WASHINGTON – The issue with interpreters overshadowed much of the trial of the three suspects involved in the November 2002 Bali bombings, with lawyers arguing over impartiality of the translators provided.
Lawyers representing Malaysian duo Mohammed Nazir Lep and Mohammed Farik Amin also questioned the interpreter’s proficiency.
Lawyer Christine Funk said her client, Farik, expressed frustration about the translations, reported Indonesian news portal BenarNews.
She was quoted as saying that he is not proficient in English but was “forced to listen to two languages”.
Meanwhile, lawyer James Hodes, representing Indonesian Encep Nurjaman, also known as Hambali, said the Indonesian interpreter should be removed from the case, alleging that the translator was not impartial.
“The Indonesian interpreter has made statements that these guys are all terrorists and should be killed,” Hodes told the judge. “That’s just one of the reasons.”
The lawyer also asked for the proceedings to be recorded and put on the record.
“I can give you my cellphone and they can start recording.”
Hambali had also requested that he be represented by an Indonesian lawyer.
The interpreters are provided by the American military.
Military judge Commander Hayes Larsen told the lawyers to “respond slowly so we can get an accurate interpretation”.
“I want to ensure that the accused understands all that is happening.”
It was reported that the hearing was adjourned to today after a prosecutor read out the general charges against the three defendants. The defendants have yet to enter a plea.
The arraignment was viewed remotely from a US army base near here, under media arrangements provided by the Office of Military Commissions. No photographs or videos were allowed during the proceedings.
A charge sheet uploaded by the US Office of Military Commissions showed that the Malaysians face nine charges and Hambali, eight, in relation to their alleged roles in the terrorist attacks.
All three will be charged with conspiracy, attempted murder, murder, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, terrorism, destruction of property, and attacking civilians and civilian objects.
The charges do not carry the death penalty.
The trio were arrested in Thailand in August 2003 and sent to a secret CIA prison network before being moved to Guantanamo in September 2006.
The Malaysians were also implicated in an al-Qaeda plot to crash a hijacked plane into the 73-storey US Bank Tower, also known as the Library Tower, in Los Angeles.
Hambali has been described as “an operational mastermind for Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian militant group affiliated with al-Qaeda”.
The Malaysian duo were also described as Hambali’s top aides in JI who had undergone training by al-Qaeda, according to Guantanamo case documents.
He was among those responsible for organising the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US.
The US also alleged that Hambali met Osama bin Laden in 1996 in Afghanistan.
The charges were announced on the first full day of the administration of President Joe Biden.
When Biden was Barack Obama’s vice-president, they sought, but failed, to close the navy-run prison in Guantanamo, and had remaining prisoners either released or tried in US civilian courts. – The Vibes, August 31, 2021
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