JP\/4\/PRIOK<\/p>\n
Charged Kopassus chief denies
\nintimidation of witnesses<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) Commander Maj. Gen. Sriyanto
\nMuntrasan denied on Thursday allegations that his troops
\nintimidated witnesses of the 1984 Tanjung Priok tragedy not to
\ntestify against him.<\/p>\n
He urged any witnesses to file a legal complaint with the
\nMilitary Police if they received such threats during the ongoing
\ntrial.<\/p>\n
Speaking to journalists after appearing at Thursday's trial at
\nthe ad hoc human rights tribunal, Sriyanto said he would not
\nprohibit his soldiers from coming to court to observe his trial
\nas a defendant in the Tanjung Priok case.<\/p>\n
He argued that all community members, including soldiers, were
\nfree to attend the trial.<\/p>\n
\"There are no regulations that ban troops from visiting the
\ncourtroom to observe the trial. I don't understand why their
\npresence is perceived as intimidation.<\/p>\n
\"But if some of my soldiers have made threats, people can file
\nan official complaint with the Military Police instead of
\nslandering us,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of Kopassus soldiers have crowded the courtroom at
\nevery trial session of their commander.<\/p>\n
Sriyanto is charged with direct involvement in the 2004 fatal
\nshooting into a crowd of Muslim protesters in Tanjung Priok,
\nNorth Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Tuesday, around 20 families of the victims reported
\nbeing intimidated and asked the police to protect them.<\/p>\n
They identified their intimidators as Kopassus personnel, and
\nsaid the soldiers had threatened to kill them if they testified
\nagainst Sriyanto and other military defendants.<\/p>\n
Accompanied by their lawyers from the Commission for Missing
\nPersons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the victims' families
\nalso took their complaint on Thursday to National Military Police
\ncommander Maj. Gen. Sulaiman A.B.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, Sulaiman promised to protect the victims,
\nbut stressed that he could not stop the soldiers from coming to
\ncourt as observers.<\/p>\n
Despite the complaints, hundreds of Kopassus soldiers thronged
\nSriyanto's trial on Thursday at the Central Jakarta District
\nCourt to show support for their commander.<\/p>\n
The two-star general, 52, was a captain and head of the North
\nJakarta military district operational unit during the 1984
\nmassacre.<\/p>\n
Sriyanto is charged with ordering his troops from the North
\nJakarta Air Defense Artillery Battalion to open fire into a crowd
\nof Muslim protesters without any prior warning.<\/p>\n
At least 10 people were killed, and the troops continued to
\nshoot as the protesters fled.<\/p>\n
Sriyanto's lawyers told the ad hoc trial that they had no
\nright to try their client over an incident that took place almost
\n20 years ago, arguing that the Tanjung Priok incident was not a
\ngross human rights violation.<\/p>\n
They asked the judges to dismiss the charges against Sriyanto,
\nsaying that under the 2000 law, only cases of gross human rights
\nviolations were tried by such tribunals.<\/p>\n
Aside from Sriyanto, two retired generals, an Army captain and
\n10 privates are also on trial in the same case.<\/p>\n
Their lawyers have said the troops were only following orders
\nfrom their superiors.<\/p>\n
The trial is adjourned until next Thursday.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp4priok-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }