Indonesia court rejects appeal by Bali bombers

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's Supreme Court has rejected a third appeal for a case review by three men on death row for their role in the 2002 Bali bombings, a court official said on Thursday, removing another obstacle to their execution. The Bali court official, who declined to be identified, said the Denpasar District court had received a rejection letter and would hold a news conference on Friday.

The three Islamic militants, Amrozi, his brother Mukhlas alias Ali Ghufron and Imam Samudra have been on death row since 2003 when a Bali court sentenced them to death for their roles in the nightclub bombings that killed 202 foreigners and Indonesians on the island in 2002.

Other Indonesian courts have repeatedly upheld their death sentences and the filing of a third case review appears to be unprecedented.

In most cases, only one case review is allowed, although there are a handful of examples when the Supreme Court has considered a second review.

A spokesman for the Attorney-General's office said the bombers could still use their right to ask for a pardon.

The three have repeatedly told the media they were ready to die as martyrs and would not seek presidential clemency.

They are being held in a maximum-security jail on Nusakambangan island in Central Java, hundreds of kilometers from their families who live in East and West Java.

Indonesia does not make public the timing and exact location of executions, but a deputy attorney-general told reporters in May that it would be done in Central Java.

(Reporting by Olivia Rondonuwu and Telly Nathalia; Editing by Ed Davies)