Defendants in Bekasi rape case plead not guilty<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Eleven men charged with the robbery and rape of
\nAcan's wife and teenage daughters in Bekasi last July asked the
\ncourt to acquit them yesterday.<\/p>\n
They claimed they were not involved in the crime and had been
\nforced to sign the testimony under police pressure.<\/p>\n
\"I signed the testimony because I could not stand the torture
\nwhich I experienced day and night from more than 10 policemen
\nsince they the day they arrested me. They also threatened to
\nshoot me,\" Bonen, one of the defendants, said in the Bekasi
\ncourt, 30 km southeast of the capital.<\/p>\n
Like Bonen, the other defendants, in three separate trials
\nyesterday, asked that the court bring in a man named Amin to
\ntestify as a witness. They also demanded that the policemen who
\narrested and tortured them be summoned.<\/p>\n
A source said yesterday that Amin is a prisoner the 11 met
\nwhile in Bulak Kapal jail and who, they claim, knows what really
\nhappened.<\/p>\n
\"The previous witnesses were fake, they knew nothing. Why
\ndoesn't the court present Amin, who knows everything about the
\nevent and the others who took part in the crime,\" Bonen said.<\/p>\n
Among the 28 witnesses who have been heard by the court are
\nAcan's family members and the defendants, who testified in
\nseparate trials.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, Bonen and his co-defendants read written statements
\ndetailing their activities during the night of the crime on July
\n24 in Cimatis village, Bekasi.<\/p>\n
The defendants, aged between 17 and 23, were arrested in
\nAugust on charges of having robbed the family and brutally raped
\nAcan's wife and two teenage daughters. The case has provoked
\nwidespread public anger, and sympathy for the family.<\/p>\n
The defendants also asked the court to reject the prosecutors'
\ndemand for a sentence of 16 years imprisonment.<\/p>\n
\"I would rather be shot or hanged and die at once than be in
\nprison for a crime I did not commit,\" Iwan, one of the
\ndefendants, told the court.<\/p>\n
One of the 15 defense lawyers, Petrus Bala Pattyona, told the
\ncourt that since none of the witnesses ever mentioned anything
\nabout any of the defendants having been in Acan's house during
\nthe crime, the defendants should be released.<\/p>\n
The lawyers said they objected to the defendants being
\npresented as witnesses to testify against other defendants,
\nwhich, they said, is against the law. They also doubted the
\naccuracy of the medical examinations of the rape victims.<\/p>\n
Unlike previous hearings, which took place in Bekasi's Civil
\nServants Hall, yesterday's session was conducted in the Bekasi
\ncourt under tight security.<\/p>\n
Dozens of police and intelligence officers were deployed to
\nprevent another outburst of public anger as had happened during
\nthe pre-trial sessions in August. More than 100 people who wanted
\nto attend the trials were required to present their ID cards
\nbefore they could get an entry pass.<\/p>\n
The trials were adjourned until Thursday to give the
\nprosecutors time to prepare their arguments. (03)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/defendants-in-bekasi-rape-case-plead-not-guilty-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}