Aceh student activists accused of treason

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.