More activists jailed for street protest<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): South Jakarta District Court sentenced another
\n23 people to two months and 12 days in jail yesterday for
\nignoring a police order to disperse during a Feb. 11 street
\ndemonstration.<\/p>\n
Several defendants were disappointed because the judges
\nrejected their claims they were arrested elsewhere after the
\ndemonstration, which was held to demand the government lower
\nprices of staple foods.<\/p>\n
The convicts are understood to be supporters of Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri, the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) chairwoman
\nwho was ousted by a government-backed breakaway faction in 1996.<\/p>\n
All 23 defendants will be released tomorrow because they have
\nbeen detained since Feb. 12, equivalent to the length of their
\nsentences.<\/p>\n
The members of Barisan Merah Putih (The Red-and-White Front)
\nwere found guilty of failing to disperse after the police asked
\nthem to do so three times during the peaceful demonstration.<\/p>\n
They held a rally from the Attorney General's Office in Blok M
\nto the Ministry of Manpower on Jl. Gatot Subroto.<\/p>\n
The judges sentenced four defendants in this trial who claimed
\nthey were arrested elsewhere on the grounds "they were involved
\nin the demonstration".<\/p>\n
Nurdin, 60, said he was arrested at his house in Tanah Tinggi,
\nCentral Jakarta, at about 6 p.m. on the day of the rally.<\/p>\n
He told the court earlier that he joined the demonstration for
\na few minutes before proceeding home.<\/p>\n
"Apparently, someone who didn't like me reported me to the
\npolice. Police officers came and picked me up without a warrant,
\nand I object to it," he said.<\/p>\n
Sandra, Fatiya and Petrus were arrested in a bus shelter near
\nthe site of the demonstration.<\/p>\n
Fatiya earlier told the court that she was arrested after she
\njoined a protest at the House of Representatives on Feb. 11 just
\na few hours after the rally dispersed.<\/p>\n
"I was shoved onto a police truck. But police released me near
\nthe scene. I was then rearrested after a police officer found a
\nT-shirt with a Megawati picture," she recalled.<\/p>\n
The judges argued in their verdict that the three defendants
\nwere monitoring the demonstration.<\/p>\n
The defendants were charged under two articles: Article 5 of
\nthe Law No. 5\/1963 on political activities and Article 218 of the
\nCriminal Code on ignoring police orders.<\/p>\n
One of the judges, M. Amin, said the defendants were not
\nguilty of committing political activities.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, dozens of relatives of the defendants and their
\nsupporters clapped every time the judges read the guilty
\nverdicts, considered foregone conclusions by many.<\/p>\n
Nurdin, Sandra, Fatiya and Petrus said they would consider
\nappealing but the other defendants accepted the sentencing.<\/p>\n
The court has sentenced 76 from 157 members of the group
\narrested for the demonstration. The sentencing of the remaining
\n36 defendants is scheduled for today and tomorrow.<\/p>\n
About 35 of those arrested were released on Feb. 12 after
\npaying fines of Rp 2,500 (30 U.S. cents) for joining the
\ndemonstration. In a short trial at City Police Headquarters, a
\njudge ruled they were guilty of demonstrating without a permit.
\n(jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/more-activists-jailed-for-street-protest-1447893297",
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