Aceh defendants may get between 6 and 10 years in jail
Aceh defendants may get between 6 and 10 years in jail
BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): State prosecutors demanded on Saturday
prison terms of between six and 10 years for 24 soldiers and a
civilian on trial for the killings at an Islamic boarding school
in West Aceh last year.
The stiffest sentence of 10 years in jail was sought for the
civilian defendant, Taleb, alias Aman Suar, for his possession of
a gun believed to have been used in the killings.
The prosecutors asked the court to hand down eight-years jail
terms for Capt. Anton Yuliantoro, Second Lt. Michel Asini,
Second Pvt. Yuliansyah, First Pvt. Heriansyah and Second Lt.
Trijoko Adiwiyono.
Seven-year terms were sought for 17 low-ranking defendants,
while prosecutors asked for six-year jail terms for Chief Pvt.
Wahyono and Chief Pvt. Heriyanto.
Prosecutor Nuraini A.S. said the defendants had been proven
guilty in the killing of local Muslim leader Tengku Bantaqiah and
at least 57 of his followers in the remote village of Beutong
Ateuh on July 23 last year.
Bantaqiah was the leader of the Babul Mukaromah Islamic
boarding school in Beutong Ateuh, some 80 kilometers from the
West Aceh regency capital of Meulaboh.
"The defendants violated Article 338, Paragraph 1 of Article
55 of the Criminal Code by committing the murders," Nuraini said.
The courtroom was crowded with visitors, there to hear the
reading of the sentencing demands. As it was for earlier
sessions, security outside the court was tight.
The defendants maintained their composure during the session,
presided over by Judge Ruslan Dahlan. When asked by the panel of
judges if they wished to respond to the sentencing demands, the
defendants said they would first consult with their lawyers.
The team of defense lawyers requested a one-week adjournment
to study the sentencing demands and prepare a rebuttal. The
request, however, was rejected by Ruslan, who adjourned the trial
until Monday.
"We give you two days. If you are not able to read your
rebuttal on Monday, we will continue on and read the verdicts,"
Ruslan said.
After the session, defense lawyer Maj. Kantor Ketaren told
journalists two days was an insufficient amount of time to
prepare a rebuttal. "The judge was too arrogant."
"We want at least until Wednesday to prepare the rebuttal. If
the judge turns down our request, we will look to the Supreme
Court," he said.
Aceh was relatively calm on Saturday following the overnight
signing of a Joint Understanding on a Humanitarian Pause by
representatives of the Indonesian government and the separatist
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Davos, near Geneva, Switzerland.
Former foreign minister Roeslan Abdulgani welcomed the
signing, saying it was "a positive move in a bid to strengthen
the republic's unity and sovereignty".
He called on the nation not to debate the appropriateness of
signing the accord in Switzerland, which he said had much to do
with security concerns.
"Let's not be too quick to judge. Everything must be viewed
from a broader perspective for the good of everyone," Roeslan
said after a seminar held by Pelita daily.
However, noted Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid, another
speaker at the seminar, criticized the government for allowing
the accord to be signed overseas.
"Why Geneva? People in foreign countries might consider it an
international issue, whereas it is a domestic matter," Nurcholish
said.
He feared the signing would lead to new demands for the
trouble in Aceh to be resolved through international mediation.
Political observer Ichlasul Amal said the joint understanding
would raise the government's popularity among the people of Aceh,
who for years have longed for peace.
"GAM will lose its reputation if peace returns to Aceh. This,
however, requires the government's commitment to ending
militaristic methods in coping with the problems in Aceh," said
Ichlasul, the rector of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.
(44/50/rms/sur)