Jakarta Police release students without charges<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): City police released without charge on Friday
\nsix students who had been in custody after red-handedly found
\nlowering the national flag at the Attorney General's Office
\ncompound in South Jakarta the day before.<\/p>\n
The six left city police headquarters at 11 a.m, escorted by
\ndozens of their friends.<\/p>\n
Muhammad Ismail Sambas, one of the students, said they were
\nreleased by the police after hours of investigation.<\/p>\n
\"The investigation process started from Thursday afternoon and
\nended at around midday,\" said Sambas, a student at Moestopo
\nBeragama University.<\/p>\n
Along with Sambas, the police arrested Bonny Zaki, Dwi Hananto
\nSetiawan, Reni Erlina, Rinita and Rifka.<\/p>\n
The six students, along with 31 other protesters grouped under
\nthe Jakarta Student Action Committee (KAM Jakarta) and the
\nBandung-based Young Indonesia Front (FIM Bandung), were taken to
\ncity police headquarters on Thursday after they staged a protest
\nat the office on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The six were charged with insulting the country's red-and-
\nwhite flag after they lowered the one in the office compound half
\nthe way down its 12-meter-long pole. The other 31 protesters were
\nallowed to leave the same day after being briefed by police
\npersonnel.<\/p>\n
South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Sup. Edward Aritonang said
\nearlier on Thursday that the protesters could face a maximum four
\nyears in jail each for insulting the national flag, as stipulated
\nin Article 154 of the Criminal Code.<\/p>\n
The students rejected the charge, saying that they were only
\nintending to show the public that they had yet to enjoy real
\nindependence.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesian people are not really free as military men are
\nstill present in the legislative bodies,\" the students said.<\/p>\n
Acting city police spokesman Supt. Alex Mandalika confirmed
\nthe release of the six students.<\/p>\n
\"The students were released from all charges since the police
\ndidn't have sufficient evidence that they had really humiliated
\nthe national flag,\" he said at his office. (asa)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jakarta-police-release-students-without-charges-1447893297",
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