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)