A top Indonesian court has ruled that a tough anti-terrorism law used to convict the Bali bombers is unconstitutional.
The decision by the Constitutional Court may put the Bali bombing prosecutions in a legal quagmire as the dozens of people convicted so far were investigated and charged using the law. Three are on death row.
"The use of the law No. 16 2003 contradicts the 1945 constitution," the head of the court, Jimly Asshiddiqie, said in his ruling. The nine judges on the panel ruled five to four against the law.
Indonesia only enacted its first laws targeting terrorism days after militants from a group linked to al-Qaeda bombed bars on Bali in October 2002, killing 202 people, most of them foreign tourists.
"This decision did not annul the verdict on Amrozi and others," justice assistant Muhammad Asrun told reporters, referring to the first Bali bomber to be convicted. Amrozi, dubbed the "smiling bomber" for his courtroom antics, was sentenced to death.
However, it was not immediately clear whether that interpretation would bar appeals from convicted Bali bombers, on the basis of the court's decision. More than 30 militants have been convicted.