Gitmo Bay Duo Will Be Closely Monitored Home Minister Gives Assurance

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Nazir Lep (left) and Farik Amin, who had been held at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre since 2006, are back in Malaysia under an agreement with the US.
PETALING JAYA: Police will “closely monitor” the two Malaysians who were repatriated after nearly 20 years at the US Guantanamo Bay detention centre, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.
Nazir Lep and Farik Amin, who pleaded guilty in January this year to conspiracy in the 2002 Bali bombings, will undergo a comprehensive reintegration programme that was formulated by Putrajaya.
In a Facebook post today, Saifuddin said a monitoring mechanism had been drawn up to complement the reintegration programme.
“Police will be continuously monitoring (the duo), including periodic visits to gauge the progress of their rehabilitation and ensure their welfare is looked after,” he said.
In a separate statement yesterday, Saifuddin said Putrajaya received Nazir and Farik, who had been held at Guantanamo Bay since 2006, from the US “on the principles of human rights and support for universal justice”.
He also said the government had formulated a comprehensive reintegration programme specifically for the pair, which will cover support in terms of social services, welfare, and health screenings.
Nazir, 47, and Farik, 48, had been held in solitary confinement since their arrest in Thailand in 2003 by US authorities in connection with the Bali bombings the previous year.
In January, they were sentenced to 23 years in prison by a jury after pleading guilty to their role in the bombings under a pre-trial agreement. Under the agreement, they could be released after five years and repatriated to a third country.
Both men pleaded guilty to conspiring with the “mastermind”, Indonesian Encep Nurjaman, also known as Hambali, to commit the Bali bombings, which killed 202 people.
Separately, Australia’s ABC News reported that Canberra had asked Malaysia for assurances that the two men were being closely monitored.
Quoting a spokesman for Australian foreign minister Penny Wong, the report said the Australian government had “conveyed to the US and Malaysia our close interest in this matter on numerous occasions”.
“While the arrangements for the transfer are a matter for the Malaysian and US governments, we have sought assurances from the Malaysian government that the individuals will be subject to ongoing supervision and monitoring,” the spokesman was quoted as saying.
Eighty-eight Australians were among the 202 people killed in the Bali bombings. - FMT

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