Aceh rebels rejects terrorism charges

Aceh rebels rejects terrorism charges

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post , Banda Aceh, Aceh

Former peace negotiators representing the Free Aceh Movement
(GAM) rejected on Monday terrorism charges laid against them and
asked all parties involved in the peace talks to be brought to
court.

Teungku Muhammad Usman Lampoh Awe, in his defense, told the
Banda Aceh District Court, that the accusation was baseless and
irrelevant as it was linked to his and his colleagues'
representation of the separatist group in negotiations with the
Indonesian government.

"For the sake of justice, the charges must be dropped," Usman
said.

Usman is one of five former GAM negotiators standing trial for
alleged treason and acts of terror, which carry a death sentence.

Fellow defendant, Teungku Amni bin Ahmad Marzuki, demanded the
negotiators be acquitted of all charges.

"As a negotiator, I just conducted a mission to restore peace,
which had been agreed on by the two parties and the international
community. Therefore I ask the judges to drop the case for the
sake of justice," Amni said.

He said evidence presented by the prosecutors was not
sufficient to build a case against him and other GAM negotiators.

"They are just excesses of the war that is now going on in
Aceh," Amni said.

Usman demanded the court also try negotiators representing the
Indonesian government and members of the Switzerland-based peace
broker, the Henry Dunant Centre, if their participation in the
peace talks was considered a crime.

"If serving as peace negotiators is a crime, all people
involved in the peace process, including (former president) Gus
Dur ... must stand trial," Usman said.

The peace process was initiated during the tenure of former
president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid in 2000. A six-month truce
was reached last December, but was then broken in May this year
after GAM rejected terms set by Jakarta for renewed peace talks.

The lawyer representing the defendants, Rufriadi of the Banda
Aceh Legal Aid Institute, said the accusations were confusing as
it mixed up terrorism and political crimes.

He said there was no solid proof of his clients' involvement
in a series of murders, bomb attacks, abduction and other crimes
between 2000 and 2003 as stated by the prosecutors.

The trial was adjourned to next week to hear the prosecutors'
response to the defense argument.