Two lawyers condemn gun-toting peers<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Two senior lawyers have condemned the growing
\ntrend of lawyers carrying firearms, saying this would only lead
\nto more violence.<\/p>\n
Interviewed separately, Bambang Widjoyanto from the Foundation
\nof the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) and Apong Herlina,
\nchairwoman of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, said carrying
\nfirearms, a trend which has caught on among some Jakarta-based
\nlawyers, could spark violence in society.<\/p>\n
Bambang said lawyers who trusted their safety to their guns
\nmight believe they could no longer trust the law.<\/p>\n
\"They are fighting violence with violence. The widespread
\npossession of guns within a society will lead to a lawless
\nsociety,\" Bambang said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
In agreement was Apong, who said that if lawyers carried
\nfirearms it would cause fear and insecurity among the people,
\nincluding those involved in court trials.<\/p>\n
\"It will make lawyers more likely to commit violence since
\nthey already have the means, namely the guns,\" she said on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
The two lawyers were commenting on an unusual scene at the
\nCentral Jakarta District Court last Thursday. According to
\nseveral journalists who witnessed the incident, they saw a small
\ngun beneath the coat of noted lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea, who
\nwas at the court for a civil case.<\/p>\n
When asked by the journalists about the gun, Hotman refused to
\nanswer and said the question \"is out of context\".<\/p>\n
Besides Hotman, lawyer Henry Yosodiningrat is also known to
\ncarry a firearm.<\/p>\n
Contacted on Friday, Henry said a man in a high-risk
\nprofession like himself must be allowed to carry a gun for self-
\ndefense.<\/p>\n
\"Lawyers, for example, often are threatened with guns,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
According to him, he has received numerous threats over the
\ntelephone from unknown parties.<\/p>\n
\"The number of threats has increased since I became the
\nchairman of the antidrug group Granat in October last year,\"
\nHenry said, adding that he has carried a gun for almost two
\nyears.<\/p>\n
He agreed with fears that the unchecked sale of guns would
\nresult in Indonesia becoming a country where violence occurred
\nevery day.<\/p>\n
Therefore, he suggested only selected lawyers be allowed to
\npossess firearms, and only after passing a number of tests,
\nincluding one to check their emotional state of mind.<\/p>\n
Bambang and Apong insisted that all lawyers who possessed guns
\nshould be willing to hand over their weapons to the police, the
\nparty with the authority to ensure security in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Apong worried the possession of guns within society would
\nencourage people to take the law into their own hands.<\/p>\n
\"The possession of guns will then only add to the security
\nproblems,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Bambang said: \"As members of the legal apparatus, they (the
\nlawyers) should trust security personnel to handle any threats
\n(they have received) in line with existing laws.\"<\/p>\n
\"If we disobey the rules, the country will become a lawless
\nstate,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Apong urged the police, which issues gun permits to civilians,
\nto tighten their screening process of those who wish to own
\nfirearms. (asa)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/two-lawyers-condemn-gun-toting-peers-1447893297",
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