Activist to sue Prabowo over abduction incidents

JAKARTA (JP): Now that he is a civilian, former Army Special Force (Kopassus) chief Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto may have to stand trial in a civilian court after one of the freed abducted victims revealed plans to sue him.

Student activist Pius Lustrilanang is planning to sue Prabowo for his alleged involvement in the abduction and torture of activists.

"Pius is now working out a lawsuit against Prabowo," Trimedya Panjaitan, Pius' lawyer, said as quoted by Antara in Semarang Saturday.

Pius, the secretary-general of SIAGA, a loose association of supporters of government critics Megawati Soekarnoputri and Amien Rais, told the National Commission on Human Rights upon his reappearance in April that he was abducted in February and detained in a cell for two months.

Puis, who is one of nine activists to be released by their abductors, was the first to go public with details of his abduction.

Trimedya said other released activists -- Andi Arief, Desmond H. Mahesa and Haryanto Taslam -- would also testify against Prabowo if the case went to trial.

"All the victims experienced the same treatment by the same people and in the same place.

"And the decision to sue Prabowo was made after Prabowo admitted to involvement in the kidnapping of the nine activists already returned home," he added.

Prabowo, a son-in-law of former president Soeharto, was honorably discharged from active military service by the Armed Forces (ABRI) Headquarters last week, upon his confession of involvement in nine activists' abductions.

Together with Prabowo, two other Kopassus officers Maj. Gen. Muchdi Purwopranjono and Col. Chairawan were released from their structural duties also for reported involvement in the abduction of activists.

Asked about the grounds for filing suit with a district court, Trimedya said his client believed that a civilian trial would be fairer and more transparent than a military tribunal.

Commenting on the planned lawsuit, law professor of the Semarang-based Diponegoro University Satjipto Rahardjo said there would not be any problem in taking a retired military official to civilian court.

"The police must have strong evidence to support the activist's allegations," he separately said.

A political observer at the National Institute of Sciences, Hermawan Sulistyo, noted that the decision to release Prabowo from military service resulted from an "extraordinary" compromise by the Armed Forces.

"I've never, in Indonesian history, seen any high-ranking military official put under an honor council's investigation," he told Antara.

"ABRI chief Gen. Wiranto used a 'win-win solution' method to settle the case."

"Internally, it will not cause problems, while externally people are satisfied with the decision," he said.

Support for ABRI's decision also came from the Netherlands- based Amnesty International human rights watch group.

"What ABRI has done so far is a profound understanding of the past mistakes made under Soeharto's government," Venlely Verld, Amnesty International's expert on Indonesia, said.

He said the decision to dismiss Prabowo from military service and to release two other Kopassus officers from their structural positions and duties would enable ABRI to restore its good image in the eyes of the international community. (27/imn)