General faces 10-years sentence<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Prosecutors in an ad hoc rights tribunal demanded on Wednesday a
\n10-year prison term for a retired Army general who was charged
\nwith committing a crime against humanity in the bloody Tanjung
\nPriok massacre that left at least 14 Muslim protesters dead in
\n1984.<\/p>\n
The prosecutors said Maj. Gen. (ret.) Rudolph Adolph Butar-
\nButar, then a lieutenant colonel and head of the North Jakarta
\ndistrict military command, had failed to prevent or halt the
\nsystematic killing of civilians when in fact he had the authority
\nto prevent the crime from happening.<\/p>\n
\"As a commander, the defendant did nothing to prevent his
\ntroops from committing the killings, nor did he hand them over
\nfor legal action afterward,\" prosecutor Muhammad Yusuf told the
\ncourtroom.<\/p>\n
Under Law No. 26\/2000 on human rights, if convicted the
\ndefendant could face a minimum of 10 years in prison or the
\nmaximum death sentence.<\/p>\n
During the incident, the defendant was in charge of the 40-
\nstrong Platoon III of the Air Defense Artillery Battalion based
\nin North Jakarta. The platoon was deployed on orders from the
\ndistrict military command to guard the military compound and
\nimportant public facilities in the vicinity against the possible
\nattack of angry protesters.<\/p>\n
The protesters were demanding the release of four people who
\nwere being held in the compound. They had barely reached the
\ncompound when troops opened fire.<\/p>\n
In the prosecution, it was said that at least 14 people were
\nkilled and 11 others injured when soldiers ran on a rampage and
\nshot Muslim protesters on Sept. 12, 1984 -- an exemplary case of
\nthe gross violation of the human rights of civilians during the
\n32-years of president Soeharto's authoritarian regime.<\/p>\n
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) put the
\ndeath toll at 33, but military authorities said only nine people
\nwere killed. Families of the victims, however, claim that almost
\n400 Muslim protesters were killed during the incident.<\/p>\n
Speaking after the trial, the defendant expressed his
\ndisappointment with the prosecutors' demand. \"I was just doing my
\nduty for my country. However, I am ready to accept it (the
\nsentence),\" he said.<\/p>\n
The trial was adjourned until April 7, when a defense
\nstatement will be heard.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/general-faces-10-years-sentence-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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