ABRI urged to probe Marsinah case<\/p>\n
SEMARANG (JP): A human rights campaigner urged the military
\nyesterday to investigate the allegations that some of its members
\nmay have been involved in the 1993 murder of labor activist
\nMarsinah.<\/p>\n
Muladi, a member of the National Commission on Human Rights,
\nproposed the establishment of a special council to carry out the
\ninvestigation.<\/p>\n
It would be similar to the Officers' Honor Council that the
\nArmy formed in February to investigate the killings of East Timor
\ncivilians, said the rector of the Diponegoro University.<\/p>\n
The military would be better off sacrificing one or two
\nmembers who were involved in the killing of Marsinah rather then
\nputting its reputation on the line, he added.<\/p>\n
Police reopened Marsinah's murder case after the Supreme Court
\nacquitted all nine main defendants early this month. The East
\nJava district courts had earlier convicted them of executing the
\nbrutal murder.<\/p>\n
Marsinah's badly mutilated body was found on May 9, 1993, only
\na few days after she led a workers strike at the watchmaking
\ncompany in Sidoarjo, East Java, where she was working.<\/p>\n
All nine defendants were executives and security guards of PT
\nCitra Putra Surya, the watchmaking company.<\/p>\n
A tenth suspect, an Army captain, was convicted as an
\naccessory to the murder. He did not appeal and therefore his
\nconviction remained. His superiors now plan to restore his name
\nin light of the acquittal of the main suspects.<\/p>\n
The National Police are now helping the East Java Police with
\nthe investigation, but so far they have not announced if they
\nhave any new suspects.<\/p>\n
Some legal experts said investigators should look into the
\npossibility of a local military conspiracy, especially since the
\nmilitary was involved in handling the company's labor disputes.<\/p>\n
Muladi welcomed recent remarks by Army Chief of Staff Gen. R.
\nHartono that he would take firm action against any of his members
\nfound to have been involved in the murder.<\/p>\n
The National Commission of Human Rights plans to help monitor
\nthe investigation, he added.<\/p>\n
Another commission member, Satjipto Rahardjo, said the police
\nshould exclude the nine suspects who were exonerated by the
\nSupreme Court.<\/p>\n
"They cannot become suspects again. They certainly can testify
\nthough," said Satjipto, who is a law professor at Diponegoro
\nUniversity.<\/p>\n
Another law professor at the same university, Soehardjo S.S.,
\nsaid one of the lessons the police should learn from this case is
\nto tread carefully when treating criminal suspects.<\/p>\n
"They should not use force to coerce incriminating statements
\nout of the suspects. It could be fatal," Soehardjo said.<\/p>\n
He said police would have saved a lot of time and resources
\nhad they paid attention to the report by the National Commission
\non Human Rights issued last year, when the trials of the nine
\ndefendants were still going on. The report suggested that the
\nauthorities might be prosecuting the wrong people.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, Chief Justice Soeryono yesterday said that as far
\nas he was concerned, the job of the Supreme Court in the Marsinah
\ncase was completed for now with the decision to acquit the nine
\nmain suspects.<\/p>\n
It is now up to the police and the prosecution office to bring
\nin new suspects, Soeryono told reporters after a meeting with
\nPresident Soeharto in Bina Graha. (har\/emb)<\/p>",
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