Man accepts Malaysian terrorist-brother's prison sentence in Cuba with open heart
Published on: Saturday, January 27, 2024
By:
FMT, K Parkaran
Najib Lep (left) and younger brother Nasir, a terrorist convict given a 25-year prison sentence in Cuba.
PETALING JAYA: The family members of one of the two Malaysians handed out a jail sentence of 23 years for their role in the Bali bombings in 2002 which killed 202 have accepted the decision with an open heart.
Najib Lep, the elder brother of Nazir, said with this conclusion, his family hoped the government will do its best to bring him back by the end of this year to finish his sentence here after being detained in solitary confinement for more than 20 years by the US government.
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“We thank Allah for this and hope that he comes home soon. My family accepts the court’s decision calmly and with an open heart although it is more than 20 years after his arrest.
“We are hoping that he will be brought home by the end of 2024,” he told FMT.
Najib said the house that the family was building for Nazir has been completed and is ready for occupation.
According to an ABC report, Nazir, together with his co-conspirator, Farik Amin, are expected to serve only five years as agreed in the pre-trial agreement that remained a secret until the end of the proceedings.
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On Jan 16, Nazir, 47, and Farik, 48, pleaded guilty to conspiring in the Bali bombings.
Under a pre-trial pact, they agreed to a sentence of between 20 and 25 years with a clause saying they can be expatriated to a third nation, although it was not mentioned where or when this would be executed.
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The sentencing phase of the trial in the military court at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba lasted three days, and the five-member jury took two hours to deliberate before recommending the punishment early this morning.
On Wednesday, 11 family members of some of the victims spoke in open court of the lingering pain and trauma they underwent after losing their loved ones in the bombings.
On Thursday, Farik’s brothers, Fadil and Faizal, testified in his support as part of the pre-trial agreement. They said they were happy their younger brother accepted responsibility for his role in the incident and has apologised.
Fadil, the eldest in the family of 10, said it was heartbreaking to listen to the testimonies of the family members of the victims, and that it was the first time he had heard their painful accounts.
“I wish I could hug everyone,” the UK-trained architect told the court.
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