Student tried for torturing soldiers<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Annas Alamudi, a student from the University of
\nIndonesia, was indicted at the Central Jakarta District Court on
\nWednesday on charges of torturing and attempting to kill eight
\nsoldiers in a student demonstration last year.<\/p>\n
Prosecutor M. Purba said in his indictment that Annas, 22,
\ndrove his VW Safari car at high speed through a cordon of troops
\non Jl. Imam Bonjol in Central Jakarta on Nov. 11.<\/p>\n
\"The car hit several soldiers. If the soldiers had not avoided
\nthe car, it would have killed them,\" Purba said.<\/p>\n
He said Annas, accompanied by his friends Amirul, Kiki, Firman
\nand an unidentified senior high school student, set out at about
\n4:30 p.m. to the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) building in
\na demonstration protesting the General Session of the Assembly.<\/p>\n
He said the defendant's car was followed by hundreds of other
\nstudents, many of them riding motorcycles. Hundreds of troops
\nblocked them from continuing the rally to the building on Jl.
\nGatot Subroto, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Many of the students who rode motorcycles left the scene upon
\nseeing the soldiers, but the defendant drove his car at high
\nspeed toward the cordon, hitting eight of the soldiers, he said.<\/p>\n
The law school student then escaped through the Hotel
\nIndonesia roundabout before being arrested on Jl. Blora, he said.<\/p>\n
Purba charged Annas under Articles 338 and 351 (2) of the
\nCriminal Code which carry maximum punishments of 10 years and
\nfive years in jail respectively.<\/p>\n
Annas, who is not being detained in custody, was accompanied
\nby four lawyers from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute led by Apong
\nHerlina.<\/p>\n
Wearing the university's yellow jacket, a white T-shirt and
\nblue jeans, Annas said, in response to the indictment, that he
\nwas the victim in the rally.<\/p>\n
\"I was beaten and my car was damaged, but I'm tried here. We
\nconducted a peaceful rally at the time,\" Annas said at the trial,
\nwhich was attended by scores of his supporters.<\/p>\n
He questioned why soldiers who beat students and journalists
\nduring the rally were not tried and remained at large.<\/p>\n
Lawyer Apong asked the court to drop the charge, saying the
\nindictment was inaccurate, unclear and incomplete.<\/p>\n
\"The indictment wrongly stated the address of Annas. It also
\ninaccurately stated the number of victims.\"<\/p>\n
She said the defendant's dossier stated the number of soldiers
\nwho were victims in the incident was nine, instead of eight as
\nstated in the indictment.<\/p>\n
She said the indictment also stated that one of the soldiers,
\nidentified as First Sgt. Sanusi, suffered a broken left leg, but
\na medical record stated that Sanusi only suffered bruises to his
\nleft leg.<\/p>\n
Based on a psychological test undertaken by the defendant, it
\nwas impossible that Annas intended to kill or torture the
\nsoldiers, she said.<\/p>\n
\"The defendant was on the way to the MPR building. He did not
\nintentionally approach the soldiers.\"<\/p>\n
Presiding judge Hupoyo adjourned the trial until next week to
\nhear the prosecutor's response statement. (jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/student-tried-for-torturing-soldiers-1447893297",
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