ABRI urged to probe death of NU member
ABRI urged to probe death of NU member
JAKARTA (JP): Abdurrahman Wahid, head of the Nahdlatul Ulama
(NU), demanded an investigation yesterday into a report that a
member of the Moslem organization died in custody in East Java
last week.
Gus Dur, as Abdurrahman is affectionately called, said he had
petitioned Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung to look into
the matter.
"We sent a letter (to Feisal) today, demanding that the
authorities investigate the death of Ahmad Sidik, an NU member
from Situbondo," he told journalists.
Gus Dur said Ahmad, 24, died after being questioned at the
Situbondo military and police offices over his role in Oct. 10
religious riot.
He said that two of the riot's alleged instigators are also
seriously ill after questioning at the local security
headquarters.
Military officials in Jakarta and East Java were unavailable
for comment yesterday.
Sidik was one of the 54 rioters arrested for allegedly
instigating riots in the predominantly Moslem Situbondo, renown
for its reputable Islamic boarding schools.
The riots were sparked by Situbondo Moslems' anger over the
jail term the prosecution requested for a Moslem sect member
standing trial on charges of blasphemy against Islam.
The angry mob took the law into its own hands after it
considered the five-year jail term for the accused, Saleh, too
lenient. People reportedly attempted to grab Saleh from the
police with the intention of killing him, but failed.
Saleh, a senior high school graduate, endured the wrath of
local Moslems after stating in a public debate that respected
Moslem preacher As'ad Syamsu Arifin, who was an NU leader, died
under dubious circumstances; that the Prophet Muhammad was not
God's messenger and that Moslems do not have to pray five times a
day.
Twenty one churches, five Catholic elementary schools, one
Christian orphanage, two plazas, a court building, three cars and
five motorcycles were set ablaze or attacked during the riots.
Gus Dur asked for the nation's forgiveness for the attacks on
the churches on the grounds that the riots were perpetrated
mostly by NU members, while the government expressed regret over
the incident that reportedly involved more than 10,000 angry
people from Situbondo. (25/imn)