Army general skips court session for fourth time<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
For the fourth consecutive time, Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri, the
\nformer chief of the Udayana Military Command overseeing Bali,
\nWest Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara and East Timor, has
\nskipped his trial at the ad hoc human rights tribunal in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Citing the same excuse, lawyer Hotma Sitompoel told Thursday's
\nhearing that Damiri could not attend the trial because of his
\nduties in Aceh, where the government on Monday launched an
\n\"integrated operation\" to crush the separatist Free Aceh Movement
\n(GAM).<\/p>\n
Adam is the highest military officer to be tried for gross
\nhuman rights violations in East Timor in 1999.<\/p>\n
His defense lawyers said Thursday that Indonesian Military
\n(TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto had not allowed Adam to
\nleave his duty in Aceh. He is currently the operational assistant
\nto the Indonesian Military (TNI) chief of general affairs.<\/p>\n
Under prevailing laws, a defendant may skip court three times.
\nAfter that, judges are supposed to issue a letter ordering the
\ndefendant be brought to court by force.<\/p>\n
The judges in Adam's trial, however, issued no such order for
\nthe next hearing on June 5.<\/p>\n
\"The defendant should be present to hear the sentence
\nrecommendation in a bid to defend himself in court. To maintain
\nthe integrity of the law, because enough time has been accorded
\nto the defendant, the panel of judges will come out with a ruling
\nwithin two weeks,\" said Presiding Judge Marni Emmy Mustafa.<\/p>\n
After the hearing, Marni refused to say whether the court
\nwould ask prosecutors to present Adam by force, would hear the
\nsentence recommendation in his absence, would postpone the
\nhearing until he returned from Aceh or would reach a verdict.<\/p>\n
The military says its operation will take six months, at the
\nearliest.<\/p>\n
To the surprise of many chief prosecutor S. Hozie did not
\npresent any argument over using force to get Damiri to testify.
\nHis fellow prosecutor, who refused to be named, said the
\nprosecutors had supposedly asked the judges to present the
\ndefendant by force.<\/p>\n
The sentence recommendation, due to be presented on April 10,
\nhas been postponed five consecutive time. One of the
\npostponements was due to the prosecution's lack of preparedness.<\/p>\n
None of the defendants have skipped their hearings as many
\ntimes as Adam. The situation rarely happens even in a district
\ncourt.<\/p>\n
According to the law, ad hoc human rights tribunal hearings,
\nwhich are financed by the state, must conclude within six months
\nof the date they are first taken to court. Adam's case was first
\npresented on July 10, last year.<\/p>\n
Adam is one of 18 security personnel and civilians brought to
\ncourt for gross human rights violations in East Timor in 1999.
\nTwelve have so far been acquitted. The hearings are widely
\nregarded as shams.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/army-general-skips-court-session-for-fourth-time-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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