Australian Federal Police (AFP) will continue to take opt-in registrations to keep victims and surviving family members of the 2002 Bali bombings and 2003 Jakarta bombings up-to-date with ongoing court action.
More than 20 years since the terrorist attacks killed 202 people in Bali, including 88 Australians, and 12 in Jakarta the following year at the JW Marriot Hotel, the US Military Tribunal continues proceedings against Riduan Isomudin Hambali and his two co-offenders.
Hambali, also known as Encep Nurjaman, was identified as the alleged orchestrator of both bombings and arrested in Thailand by Thai and US authorities in 2003.
Hambali and his two co-accused appeared in a Guantanamo Bay court in August 2021, with their trial expected to continue this year and carry into 2024.
In a media release on Thursday, the AFP acknowledged survivors and the families of victims would have differing wishes over receiving official updates from authorities.
Assistant Commissioner Counter Terrorism and Special Investigations Command Krissy Barrett says those wishes and needs may have changed in the years since the attacks.
“We wish to continue to provide survivors and bereaved family members the opportunity to refresh their current personal details and to clearly understand the ongoing wishes of individuals around continued updates,” Ms Barrett said.
“We continue to support survivors and family members with respect to their own needs and wishes, and this opt-in registration process allows them to decide.”
The information will also help the FBI, who may wish to identify Australian witnesses who could potentially give evidence before the US Military Tribunal.
Victims and their families can find more information about the process here.
