Judge heckled for 'inconsistent judgment'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Students observing the trial of 12 National
\nUniversity (Unas) students heckled Judge Moegihardjo of South
\nJakarta District Court, targeting what the defendants and their
\nlawyers called his inconsistent judgment.<\/p>\n
The observers, angered by arguments between the judge and
\nLuhut Pangaribuan, who represents six of the students, shouted
\nsarcastic remarks whenever Judge Moegihardjo restated his ruling
\nthat the defendants would not be allowed to deliver their own
\ndefense statements.<\/p>\n
Some of the observers even yelled at the judge \"You
\nauthoritarian judge\", and \"Hear them first, then you can decide\".<\/p>\n
The 12 students on trial, all members of the Association of
\nNature Lovers, are accused of intentionally assaulting four
\nmembers of the university's student regiment and of burning the
\nregiment's headquarters on Oct. 18, 1994. The alleged attack came
\nafter regiment members reportedly destroyed the association's
\nsecretariat.<\/p>\n
The emotional arguments between the judge and the lawyer arose
\nwhen the students on trial demanded that the judge fulfill a
\npromise made in the previous session. He had said the defendants
\nwould be allowed to make their own defense responses to the
\nprosecutor's indictments.<\/p>\n
\"Your honor, according to Article 156 of the Criminal
\nProcedure Code, a defense statement in reaction to the indictment
\ncan be delivered either by the defendant himself, or his lawyer,\"
\nLuhut Pangaribuan said.<\/p>\n
The students, who are represented by Luhut, are Benedictus
\nSatrio Widyanarto, Yahdi Jamhur, Rakai Aria Dipa Erlangga,
\nDarmawan, Budi Murdiyanto and Reza Pahlevi.<\/p>\n
Judge Moegihardjo responded that the students are not capable
\nof making a defense statement.<\/p>\n
\"I am afraid that their limited knowledge of how to make a
\nproper defense statement will hamper the court proceedings,\" the
\njudge said.<\/p>\n
Luhut finally accepted the judge's decision and continued the
\nsession by reading a defense statement already prepared by him
\nand his colleagues from the Jakarta branch of the Legal Aid
\nFoundation. His colleagues are Rita Serena Kolibonso, Paulus R.
\nMahulette and Dewi Novirianti.<\/p>\n
In his defense statement, Luhut said the police failed to show
\nthe students the required arrest warrants when they were taken
\ninto custody.<\/p>\n
He also said one of the students, Reza Pahlevi, was questioned
\nwithout the presence of his lawyer. He charged that First
\nLieutenant Andi Kiranda of the South Jakarta police precinct
\npointed a gun at the suspect during the interrogation.<\/p>\n
In the second session for the separate trial of the other six
\nstudents, also presided over by Judge Moegihardjo, heated
\narguments also occurred.<\/p>\n
Lawyer Bambang Widjojanto, also from the Jakarta branch of the
\nLegal Aid Foundation, who is representing four of the students,
\nrefused to accept the judge's refusal to let the defendants
\nspeak.<\/p>\n
The four students are Syech Al Djufri Abu Bakar, Kusnadi
\nDarisan, Sudrajat Trisna and Indra Mulia Ismet Kamil.<\/p>\n
The other two students, Agus Heryana Anirun and Wahyu Sugito,
\nare represented by Thomas Tampubolon the chairman of the Jakarta
\nbranch of the Indonesian Advocates Association.<\/p>\n
When the judge continued to refuse to allow the defendants to
\nspeak, Bambang asked to speak to his clients. Moegihardjo
\ninitially rejected this request, then reconsidered, granting the
\nlawyer two minutes for consultation.<\/p>\n
His decision was applauded by the visitors to the court
\nsession.<\/p>\n
In the defense statement, Bambang charged that the police had
\nno warrants when his clients were arrested. He also questioned
\nthe validity of the results of police questioning because no
\nlawyers were present during the sessions.<\/p>\n
The judge adjourned the trial session until tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Shortly after Moegihardjo ended the court session, hundreds of
\nthe students' supporters held a demonstration condemning the
\nexistence of the student regiment on their campus.<\/p>\n
The existence of student regiments at various universities has
\nbeen questioned following reports of brawls involving regiment
\nmembers on several campuses.<\/p>\n
The government agreed recently to restructure the regiment and
\nplace it under the supervision of the ministries of defense and
\nsecurity, home affairs and education and culture.<\/p>\n
Previously, the regiment had been supervised only by the
\nMinistry of Education and Culture.<\/p>\n
The brawl, which gave rise to the two trials, occurred during
\na celebration of the university's 45th anniversary. Five students
\nwere injured in the fighting. (mas)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/judge-heckled-for-inconsistent-judgment-1447893297",
"image": ""
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