Ex-general jailed for Priok killing<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The ad hoc rights tribunal sentenced on Friday a retired general
\nto 10 years in prison for committing gross human rights
\nviolations in the Tanjung Priok massacre 20 years ago, which
\nkilled, according to official accounts, at least 14 protesters
\nand injured dozens of others.<\/p>\n
Maj. Gen. (ret.) Rudolph Butar-Butar, a lieutenant colonel and
\nformer head of the North Jakarta military district, was found
\nguilty by a five-member panel of judges of failing to prevent or
\nhalt what they called a systematic killing of civilians in
\nSeptember 1984.<\/p>\n
The verdict, the first to be handed down in the Tanjung Priok
\nmassacre tribunal, is the minimum sentence for rights abusers as
\nstipulated under Law No. 26\/2000. Prosecutors had also sought a
\n10-year imprisonment for Butar-Butar.<\/p>\n
Presiding judge Tjitjut Sutiyarso said the defendant was
\nguilty of violating Law No. 26\/2000 on human rights for his
\nfailure to restrain military personnel under his command from
\nshooting civilians protesting the detention of four of their
\ncolleagues in the military compound. They barely reached the
\ncompound when troops opened fire.<\/p>\n
The panel of judges also ordered the government to pay
\ncompensation to families of the victims who had perished in the
\nincident, one of the most brutal incidents during the 32-year
\nauthoritarian rule of former president Soeharto.<\/p>\n
The defense lawyers said they would appeal the verdict.<\/p>\n
Looking appalled, Butar-Butar said he was very disappointed
\nwith the verdict. \"I was just doing my duty to the country,\"
\nButar-Butar told reporters.<\/p>\n
Usman Hamid, coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons
\nand Victims of Violence (Kontras), a local non-governmental
\norganization which has long represented the Priok victims,
\npraised the panel of judges saying that the verdict indicated its
\nindependence and resoluteness in punishing human rights
\nviolators.<\/p>\n
\"However, there is still a long way to go and we hope that
\nthe higher courts that will hear the appeal will uphold the
\nverdict,\" Usman said.<\/p>\n
Butar-Butar is one among 14 retired and active military
\npersonnel who have been indicted for their role in the massacre.
\nAll have been charged under the Human Rights Law, which carries a
\nminimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of
\ndeath.<\/p>\n
During the incident Butar-Butar was in charge of the 40-strong
\nPlatoon III of the Air Defense Artillery Battalion based in North
\nJakarta. The platoon was deployed on orders from the district
\nmilitary command to guard the military compound and important
\npublic facilities in the vicinity against possible attack from
\nprotesters.<\/p>\n
The Tanjung Priok rights tribunal is the second major attempt
\nto bring to justice military personnel responsible for past human
\nrights abuses, after a similar trial on East Timor.<\/p>\n
In the East Timor trial, 18 military and police personnel as
\nwell as civilian leaders were brought to court for failing to
\nprevent gross rights abuses in the bloody mayhem following the
\nprovince's breakaway from Indonesia through a United Nations-
\nsponsored referendum.<\/p>\n
However, 12 of the defendants, mostly military and police
\npersonnel, were acquitted.<\/p>\n
The former military commander overseeing East Timor Maj. Gen.
\nAdam Damiri, remains free pending appeal while civilian governor
\nAbilio Jose Osorio Soares recently had his 10-year prison
\nsentence upheld by the Supreme Court.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ex-general-jailed-for-priok-killing-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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