Police not sorry, will appeal order<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman and Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
In a slight victory for press freedom and the reform movement in
\ngeneral, a judge at the Central Jakarta District Court ruled on
\nMonday that the National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar and
\nseveral of his deputies must publicly apologize to the
\njournalists of Tempo weekly for not protecting them from violence
\nin an attack last March.<\/p>\n
The ruling was in response to demands filed by the Jakarta
\nchapter of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), in
\nwhich the assaulted journalists are members.<\/p>\n
Besides the National Police chief, the court also ordered the
\nJakarta Police chief, the Central Jakarta Police chief and the
\nMenteng Police chief, to make public apologies in all national
\nnewspapers and magazines, five television stations and five radio
\nstations in the next 14 days.<\/p>\n
The apology must also be addressed to AJI Jakarta.<\/p>\n
However, the court rejected the plaintiff's demands to issue
\nan asset preservation order of the National Police Headquarters
\non Jl. Trunojoyo, South Jakarta, and the inclusion of the
\nnational Press Law in the curriculum of the police academy.<\/p>\n
The March 8 attack by supporters of businessman Tomy Winata,
\nwho were enraged by an article insinuating that their boss may
\nhave profited from the fire that razed Tanah Abang textile market
\nin February, led to the assault, in full view of the police, of
\nchief editor Bambang Harymurti and reporter Abdul Manan, despite
\nthe fact that the police were on the scene and had been informed
\nof it beforehand.<\/p>\n
Another panel of judges, however, may have set back press
\nfreedom at the same district court as they exonerated protest
\nleader David Tjioe on assault charges, and gave his deputy Teddi
\nHidayat a lenient sentence of four months in jail with nine
\nmonths of suspension.<\/p>\n
\"The police failed to carry out their duties to protect the
\njournalists from assaults by David Tjioe and Teddi Hidayat
\ncommitted at the Tempo office and at the Central Jakarta Police
\noffice,\" presiding judge Iskandar Tjakke said, adding that such
\nnegligence constituted a violation of the police's legal
\nobligation.<\/p>\n
Lawyer Azas Tigor Nainggolan, who coordinates AJI's team of
\nlawyers grouped in the Committee of Defenders of Press Freedom
\n(KPKP), hailed the ruling which he said offered a ray of hope.<\/p>\n
\"In this corrupt judicial system, we can still find judges who
\nlisten to their conscience and stand for freedom.\"<\/p>\n
Fellow lawyer Tubagus Haryo Karbyanto said the ruling would
\naffect the ongoing trial on Tempo journalists who are charged
\nwith defaming Tomy. The ruling, he said, may also affect the
\ncourt rulings on David Tjioe and Teddi Hidayat in the appeal
\nprocess.<\/p>\n
The police lawyer, Rudi Heryanto, apparently not in favor of
\nhaving his clients asked to say sorry, said his team would file
\nan appeal.<\/p>\n
\"We doubt that an organization like the AJI has the
\ncredibility to file a lawsuit. It is not like the Indonesian
\nConsumer Foundation (YLKI) or the Indonesian Environmental Forum
\n(WALHI) which are designated by the existing laws to represent
\ntheir constituents.\"<\/p>\n
He claimed that much of the new evidence presented by defense
\nlawyers was not taken into consideration by the judges.<\/p>\n
Contacted separately, National Police spokesman Sr. Comr.
\nZainuri Lubis said that police would abide by the court's ruling.<\/p>\n
\"The court have ruled in favor of AJI and the police will meet
\nthe required demand in the case,\" he said.<\/p>\n
However, Zainuri said the top police officials would not
\npersonally apologize for any mistakes made by their personnel in
\nthe field, saying that police investigators in the Tempo attack
\nwould make apologies for their mistake.<\/p>\n
\"The police investigators will meet the demand as required by
\nthe court's ruling as they have been appointed to represent
\npolice officials,\" he said.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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