Aceh rights abuse trial rescheduled for April 17
Aceh rights abuse trial rescheduled for April 17
YOGYAKARTA (JP): After three delays, the joint military-
civilian tribunal for alleged human rights violations in Aceh is
slated to open on April 17 in Banda Aceh, Minister of Human
Rights Affairs Hasballah M. Saad said on Friday.
A total of 24 suspects -- 23 are soldiers of the Indonesian
Military (TNI) -- will stand trial before a panel of six judges
on charges of killing 65 people in West Aceh in July last year,
Hasballah said.
"My office and the Aceh provincial court have decided that the
trial will start on April 17 as the dossiers have all been
completed. We will proceed without Sudjono," he said, referring
to Lt. Col. Sudjono, a key witness and suspect missing since
November.
The mass killing took place in the remote hamlet of Beutong in
West Aceh on July 23 when a group of troops opened fire at
Islamic boarding school teacher Tengku Bantaqiah and dozens of
his students.
The military, however, maintain that the deaths resulted from
gunfights between soldiers and rebels.
The government-sanctioned inquiry team listed five cases last
year of human rights abuse in Aceh that need addressing,
including the Bantaqiah massacre which formed the basis for
investigations leading to the joint military-civilian court.
Hasballah also said that a total of 3,000 Acehnese children
who have fallen victim to the 10-year military operation will
receive scholarships from the government this year. Previously
4,000 students received a similar allowance, he said.
At least 300 people, including civilians and security
personnel, have been killed in Aceh in the first three months of
this year according to Hasballah.
"But not all of the killings can be categorized as human
rights violations as rebels of Free Aceh Movement (GAM),
military/police and unidentified armed gangs and civilians are
involved in this complicated conflict," he said.
Meanwhile, the body of a senior medical and law student at
Syiah Kuala University, 23-year-old Cut Fatin Hamama was laid to
rest in her home village at Baleh of Samalanga district in Bireun
on Friday.
Cut Fatin was shot in the head in an incident on the Banda
Aceh - Medan road in Indrapuri district, Aceh Besar.
She was sitting next to the driver of a public minibus on the
way to Banda Aceh when without warning a bullet struck her head.
Fatin was rushed to Zainul Abidin hospital in Banda Aceh, but
died due to massive bleeding.
Dayan Dawood, rector of Syiah Kuala University promised to
establish a team to investigate Cut Fatin's death and reminded
students not to take law into their own hands.
Aceh Police chief Brig. Gen. Bachrumsyah said on Friday the
local police would conduct its own investigation.
According to Aceh Besar Police Chief Lt. Col. Sayed Husaini,
about 1.5 hours earlier a group of armed men ambushed a truck
loaded with police mobile brigade (Brimob) personnel in Keumireue
area in Indrapuri, near the site where Cut Fatin was shot.
Three soldiers, identified as Pvt. Fatur, Pvt. Sabaruddin and
Pvt. Joko were wounded in the ambush, Sayed said.
Sayed denied reports that any of his squad was involved in the
fatal shooting of Cut Fatin.
In Pinto Weu, North Aceh, two shop-houses were burned and nine
civilians were arrested on Thursday night in a massive sweeping
operation after three soldiers and a security guard were killed
on Tuesday in a firefight near Malikussaleh airfield.
Tension gripped Banda Aceh as well as neighboring Aceh Besar
regency on Friday following outbreaks of violence in the two
relatively calm towns ahead of the week-long Aceh People's
Congress scheduled to begin on April 22. (44/50/edt)