Lawyers request Bintang's release<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Lawyers representing rebel politician Sri
\nBintang Pamungkas demanded their client's release yesterday,
\nciting insufficient legal grounds for the Attorney General's
\nOffice to continue detaining him.<\/p>\n
The lawyers said that when they accompanied Bintang during his
\nquestioning last week, they thought the interrogating prosecutors
\nhad failed to come up with "sufficient initial evidence" to
\njustify Bintang's arrest.<\/p>\n
The lawyers stated their demand in a letter addressed to
\nAttorney General Singgih yesterday.<\/p>\n
Bintang, the chairman of the unrecognized Indonesian
\nDemocratic Union Party (PUDI), together with party deputy
\nchairman Julius Usman and secretary-general Saleh Abdullah were
\narrested March 5 for subversion.<\/p>\n
The authorities said the three were arrested because of the
\nparty's activities, including its call for a boycott of the May
\n29 general election and the establishment of a new constitution.
\nThe election boycott call was contained in Idul Fitri greetings
\ncards sent out to hundreds of people.<\/p>\n
On March 17, the activists refused to answer any more
\nquestions until their demands for clarification, including on who
\nreported them, had been met.<\/p>\n
Singgih ignored Bintang's tight-lipped stance, saying it was
\nhis right to maintain silence but that the office would continue
\nwith the legal process.<\/p>\n
The Attorney General's Office has also summoned several public
\nfigures, including other PUDI activists, for questioning.<\/p>\n
Yesterday the Attorney General's Office summoned Ridwan Saidi,
\nthe secretary-general of the unrecognized Indonesian's People
\nCouncil (MARI), and Mulyana W. Kusumah, the secretary of the
\nnational board of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights
\nAssociation.<\/p>\n
Ridwan met the summons but Mulyana did not show up because he
\nwas out of town.<\/p>\n
Suhartoyo, the spokesman for the Attorney General's Office,
\ndeclined to specify on what capacity Ridwan and Mulyana were
\nsummoned.<\/p>\n
Ridwan also refused to reveal the content of the questioning,
\nsaying to do so would be unethical. He only said that PUDI was
\nonce a group within MARI. (05)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lawyers-request-bintangs-release-1447893297",
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