11 protesters freed, 44 fined Rp 2,250 each

11 protesters freed, 44 fined Rp 2,250 each

JAKARTA (JP): Under the watchful eyes of some 300 supporters
of the defendants, the Central Jakarta District Court on
Wednesday conducted a speedy trial for all 55 student protesters
arrested for holding an illegal rally on Tuesday.

Conducted in two hearing rooms over three sessions, the five-
hour trial ended peacefully, the only incident occurring when one
of the defendants' supporters was ordered by the judge to leave
the courtroom for disrupting the trial.

After hearing the testimonies of police officers and the
lawyers' pleas, the judges found 11 of the defendants not guilty
and sentenced each of the remaining 44 defendants to pay fines of
Rp 2,250 for holding a street demonstration without giving prior
notification to the police.

Half of the students found guilty by the court refuse to pay
the fine, and will appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.

The 55 defendants who were arrested during an antigovernment
rally in front of the GKBI building on Jl. Sudirman in South
Jakarta on Tuesday, arrived at the court in two police trucks at
11 a.m.

At the court, they were greeted by supporters, mostly members
of the Student Action Front for Reform and Democracy, under the
wary eyes of scores of security officers.

Judge Rusdi As'ad presided over the trial for 28 of the
defendants, while Judge Purwanto presided over the trial for the
remaining 27 defendants.

The police presented three banners and two megaphones -- said
to have been seized from the students during the demonstration --
as evidence in the trials.

All of the defendants were charged with violating Law 9/1998
on freedom of expression, whose maximum punishment is a Rp 2,250
fine -- about four U.S. cents at the current rate of exchange --
or two weeks in jail under Article 510 of the Criminal Code.

In the trial presided over by Judge Rusdi, four defendants,
including a senior technical high school student, denied the
charges, saying that they were passing through the area when
their busses became trapped in the traffic jam in front of the
GKBI building.

Rusdi found these four defendants not guilty. The remaining 24
students were found guilty of staging a street rally without
giving prior notice to the police.

"You may pay the fine or substitute it with three days in
jail. Or you can appeal the decision," he told the defendants.

During the trial, Rusdi ordered a supporter of the defendants,
later identified as a student from Jakarta University, to leave
the courtroom for creating a disruption.

The student had asked Rusdi to stop interrupting the trial
with long explanations.

Rusdi also could not hide his anger with the noisy supporters
of the defendants. His appeals for quiet were of no avail.

In the other courtroom, Judge Purwanto found seven defendants,
including five female students, not guilty. The other 20
defendants, including three female students, were found guilty of
holding a street rally without giving prior notice to the police.

Daniel Panjaitan, a lawyer at the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute
who represented the students, regretted Judge Purwanto's decision
to leave the courtroom without asking the defendants if they
accepted or refused his decision.

"We have decided to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court,"
Daniel said.

He said the judge based his decision only on police dossiers
without considering the defendants' testimonies.

Standing on a seat, Daniel attempted to calm the crowd of
supporters who began to yell when the judge left the courtroom.

During the session, some of the defendants told Purwanto that
they were beaten by police officers when they were placed under
arrest.

Purwanto replied that the alleged police abuse had no
pertinence to the present trial, suggesting the defendants report
the matter to the police.

The 55 defendants are students from various universities in
Jakarta, including Atma Jaya University, Moestopo University and
Tarumanegara University.

They were among 100 demonstrators who attempted to march to
the House of Representatives to express their demands, including
a thorough investigation of the Black Friday shooting at Semanggi
cloverleaf last November and a transparent report of foreign
loans to Indonesia. (jun)