Aceh student activists accused of treason

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

Aceh police declared two of 11 student activists arrested recently as treason suspects on Friday, saying that they had supported the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Police said the two students had helped GAM by provoking people in Aceh Tengah regency to take refuge.

"The activists are also strongly suspected of involvement in the ambush of a Mobile Brigade patrol that killed three policemen, including company commander Pvt. Budi in September 2000," Aceh Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Sayed Hoesayni told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

The two activists were identified as Herlina, 23, from the Acehnese Democratic Women's Organization (Orpad) and Iwan Irama Putra, 24, from the Linge Students Network (IMPEL).

The two are now being interrogated by Aceh Police.

Sayed added that police had released eight other student activists due to a lack of evidence on which to detain them.

He underlined that the ongoing interrogation of the two students had nothing to do with their activities as human rights activists.

"They are in detention because they violated the law," the spokesman said.

It was reported earlier that Aceh authorities had gone after activists for their alleged involvement as GAM accomplices.

Despite strong condemnation from human rights groups in the country, the authorities underlined that their activities were a threat to the national interest and they were therefore arrested.

Sayed denied that police had also detained two other students -- Nursida and Nova Rahayu, also from Orpad -- who are still missing.

Separately, Dewi Meutia, the wife of Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA) chairman Muhammad Nazar, was subject to six hours of questioning at Aceh Police Headquarters on Friday on her campaign to release her husband.

"I was questioned for six hours regarding my campaign to release Nazar and my relations with Amnesty International," Dewi said.

She said that the London-based human rights organization had frequently contacted her for information on Nazar, who is in police detention.

She was not accompanied by her lawyer, Imam Syafiie Saragih, during the interrogation. Dewi also complained that the police had rejected her request to meet Nazar.