Indonesia: Anti-Terror Law Cannot Be Applied Retroactively

The Indonesian Constitutional Court ruled on 23 July that an anti-terror law cannot be applied retroactively to convict a suspected accomplice of the 2002 Bali bombing. The judges relied on the Indonesian Constitution that guarantees “the right not to be tried under a law with retrospective effect”. The law also authorised the death penalty and the detention of suspects for six months without trial. It is unclear whether courts will quash other convictions based on the retroactive law.