East Timorese jailed for demonstration<\/p>\n
DILI, East Timor (JP): The Dili district court has sentenced
\ntwo men to a total of 41 months in jail for staging an anti-
\ngovernment demonstration at the East Timor University in January.<\/p>\n
The court sentenced Lemos Bareto to 21 months and Inasio de
\nJesus dos Santos to 20 months in jail. Both offenders, who were
\ntried separately, accepted the verdict.<\/p>\n
They are part of 13 demonstrators at the university, who have
\nbeen brought to trial. Last week, the same court jailed two
\ndemonstrators to a total of 49 months in jail on similar charges.<\/p>\n
Yesterday's verdicts were more lenient than those sought by
\nthe prosecutors, who had demanded 27 months for Bareto and 24
\nmonths for dos Santos.<\/p>\n
The panel of judges said in their verdicts that the offenders
\nwere guilty of staging a pro-independence demonstration,
\ninvolving banners with anti-government messages. The offenders,
\nthey said, sowed hatred toward the legitimate government.<\/p>\n
The judges also said that the offenders deserved sentences
\nmore lenient than the ones prosecutors sought because they only
\ntook part in a demonstration upon someone else's instigation.<\/p>\n
The demonstration was held to coincide with a meeting on the
\nEast Timor question in Geneva, between Indonesian Foreign
\nMinister Ali Alatas and Portuguese Jose Duarte Durao Baroso,
\nunder the auspices of the United Nations.<\/p>\n
The protest was held in the presence of several international
\njournalists, to attract the world's attention to their cause, the
\njudges said. (yac\/pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/east-timorese-jailed-for-demonstration-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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