Court urged to drop charges against four price proterters<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Ten lawyers asked Central Jakarta District Court
\nyesterday to drop the charges against four activists who joined a
\npeaceful demonstration on Jl. M.H. Thamrin on March 9.<\/p>\n
Trimedya Panjaitan said the defendants, identified as students
\nKuldip Singh and Widy Wahyu, reporter Wandy Nicodamus Tuturoong
\nand workers' activist Farah Diba Agustine, who participated in a
\nprotest demanding price reductions, could not be charged under
\nArticle 5 of the Law No. 5\/1963 on political activities.<\/p>\n
\"It's ironic that the prosecutor still uses the law, which was
\ncreated under the Old Order. The law banned political activities,
\nwhich opposed socialism under the late president Sukarno's
\ngovernment,\" said Trimedya from the Indonesian Legal Aid and
\nHuman Rights Association.<\/p>\n
He said the four defendants also could not be tried under
\nArticle 218 of the Criminal Code for ignoring police orders since
\nthey were arrested in a bus shelter in front of Sarinah shopping
\ncenter after the demonstration.<\/p>\n
Police officers approached the defendants when they were still
\nwaiting for a bus and forced them to go to Menteng Police
\nstation, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Hi, you come with me to the police office. My chief was angry
\nbecause I did not arrest you,\" Trimedya quoted one of the police
\nofficers who arrested the defendants as saying.<\/p>\n
The four defendants who are believed to be supporters of the
\njailed leader of the Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI)
\nMuchtar Pakpahan, denied that they had participated in any
\npolitical activities, saying that it was just a peaceful
\ndemonstration which protested staple food price hikes.<\/p>\n
\"The demonstration also did not disturb public order since it
\ntook place in the shopping center's compound. Many shoppers
\napplauded us,\" Kuldip, 26, said.<\/p>\n
Nicodamus, 26, a reporter of the Sinar Pagi daily, said that a
\ntraffic jam on the street only occurred after police officers
\nstarted to block the street.<\/p>\n
Widy, a 23-year-old student at the private Nasional
\nUniversity, said he believed the judges would free them of all
\ncharges if they themselves heard complaints from their wives
\nabout the price hikes.<\/p>\n
Kuldip, Nicodamus and Widy have been detained since their
\narrest, while Farah, 21, was detained for 11 days before being
\ntemporarily released on her family's request.<\/p>\n
Presiding judge I Nyoman Putra adjourned the trial until
\nWednesday to hear the prosecutor's reply. (jun)<\/p>",
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