Trial of students begins over plot for Islamic state<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The trial began yesterday of two university
\nstudents charged with involvement in a plot to turn Indonesia
\ninto an Islamic state.<\/p>\n
Prosecutor D. Siswadi told the South Jakarta District Court
\nthat, in pursuing their cause, Junaedi Prakoso and Ronny Dwi
\nArgaputera had "publicly expressed hostility, hatred, and insults
\ntowards the Indonesian government".<\/p>\n
Under the Criminal Code, the offense carries a maximum prison
\nsentence of seven years and\/or a fine of Rp 4,500 (US$1.50).<\/p>\n
Siswadi said that, after being sworn as members of a movement
\naiming to establish the Indonesian Islamic State (NII), Junaedi
\nand Ronny had helped recruit new members.<\/p>\n
Fajri, Rembun Wuri Widodo and Lukman Hakim, all witnesses in
\nthe case, were among those allegedly recruited by the defendants.<\/p>\n
The movement aimed to introduce Islamic law and abolish the
\nPancasila, Siswadi said.<\/p>\n
Lawyers from the Indonesian Legal Aid and the Human Rights
\nAssociation, who are representing the accused, said the case was
\npolitical and that their clients had not been involved in any
\ncrimes.<\/p>\n
The defense lawyers were opposed to the use of the Criminal
\nCode articles concerning "sowing hatred" and "sowing enmity"
\nagainst the government.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in a different room of the court building, a
\nprosecutor rebutted the defense statement of a Democratic
\nPeople's Party (PRD) activist, Wilson bin Nurtiyas.<\/p>\n
Prosecutor Soeprapto told the South Jakarta District Court
\nthat the defense statement was judicially unacceptable.<\/p>\n
The statement only made his involvement in the party and its
\naffiliate, the Center of Labor Movement and the Indonesian
\nSolidarity Movement for Maubere -- which supports a referendum in
\nEast Timor -- more obvious, he said.<\/p>\n
"Based on that, we are determined to continue with our
\nindictment," he said. The prosecutor's counterplea was handed
\ndown after Wilson read his defense statement.<\/p>\n
Last week, the prosecutor requested the court to sentence
\nWilson to eleven years in jail.<\/p>\n
Wilson was the labor movement's chief of education,
\ninformation and international relations and the Maubere
\nmovement's coordinator. He was charged with undermining the state
\nideology Pancasila through his activities in the organizations
\nbetween 1994 and 1996.<\/p>\n
The same indictment was handed down to other party activists
\nwho were sentenced in April to up to 13 years imprisonment.<\/p>\n
Wilson and fellow activist, I Gusti Agung Anom Astika, are the
\nlatest PRD activists to go on trial. (05\/40)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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