The Federal Court of Malaysia substituted with a death...

The Federal Court of Malaysia substituted with a death sentence the sentence of life imprisonment imposed by the High Court on Jemari Jusoh, an Al-Ma'unah member convicted of committing treason in 2000. Chief Justice Tan Sri Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim, who headed a panel of five judges, also upheld the death penalties on the head of the group Mohamad Amin Mohamad Razali, 32, and two members Zahit Muslim, 44, and Jamaludin Darus, 42. Jemari, 32, a mechanic, was an Al-Ma'unah member who shot dead Trooper Mathew anak Medan in cold blood on the instruction of the group's leader, Razali, during the treason attack which took place between June to July 6, 2000. Jemari was initially sentenced to life imprisonment by the High Court on December 27, 2001. In his judgment, Justice Shim said the fact that Jemari had shot Mathew in cold blood showed clearly not only his total disregard for human life but also the extent of his commitment to the common cause of overthrowing the government by force and violence. The judge said Jemari must know that the person he had shot and killed was a member of the armed forces and that Mohamed Amin's order to kill Mathew was illegal. He said there was evidence that the victim, who was shot more than once, was tortured before he was shot and had pleaded for his life. "Given those circumstances, I do not think that he was merely obeying the orders given by Mohamed Amin but had willingly carried out a brutal act with the aim of striking fear at anyone who opposed their common objective of overthrowing the government by force and violence. "It was a deliberate act of terror. Trooper Mathew was executed to serve an illegal purpose - pure and simple," Justice Shim said and the other four judges agreed with him.