UKI student receives five month jail term<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of student supporters heard the South
\nJakarta District Court sentence an Indonesian Christian
\nUniversity student on Friday to five months in jail for depriving
\na police officer of his freedom.<\/p>\n
Presiding judge Syamsoeddin A.B. said Edward T.B. Karo-karo
\nwas found guilty, along with three friends, of depriving freedom
\nto officer Suratman as charged by Article 333 (1) of the Criminal
\nCode.<\/p>\n
Syamsoeddin said the defendant was not guilty of kidnapping
\nSuratman as charged under Article 328 of the Criminal Code.<\/p>\n
The defendant was earlier charged under Article 328 and 333
\n(1), which carry a maximum punishment of 12 years in jail and
\neight years in jail respectively.<\/p>\n
\"The defendant remained silent and let his friends tie and
\nblindfold Suratman before putting the victim into a taxi,\"
\nSyamsoeddin said.<\/p>\n
He said the panel of judges considered the defendant to have
\nsupported his friends' actions, during which the victim was taken
\nto several places before being dumped by the side of a road.<\/p>\n
The judges believed the defendant at first tried to help the
\nvictim from being mobbed during a student rally on Jl. Gatot
\nSubroto on Nov. 27 last year.<\/p>\n
\"But willingness to save the victim should have been
\ndemonstrated by actions,\" Syamsoeddin said.<\/p>\n
Wearing the university's blue jacket and a headband, Edward,
\nwho was accompanied by 10 lawyers from the Student Movement
\nLawyers Team, announced he would appeal the verdict.<\/p>\n
Upon hearing the verdict, friends from the student group City
\nForum (Forkot) embraced the law school student.<\/p>\n
The supporters repeated shouts of \"Release Edward, release
\nEdward,\" during the trial, which started at about 11 a.m., forced
\nthe judge at one point to knock his gavel to silence the
\nstudents.<\/p>\n
Edward will be released within the next seven days, as he has
\nbeen detained since Dec. 8.<\/p>\n
Prosecutor M. Purba was considering appealing the judge's
\ndecision.<\/p>\n
Purba earlier asked the court to sentence Edward to three
\nyears in jail for depriving his client of freedom.<\/p>\n
He said the defendant and three friends took Sgt. Maj.
\nSuratman, who was taking photographs of the rally, to the UKI
\ncampus in Cawang, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Two of the three friends were identified as Rudi Pahala
\nSimatupang and Alex Situmeang. Rudy has been cleared in the case,
\nwhile the other two students are still at large. (jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/uki-student-receives-five-month-jail-term-1447893297",
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