Alleged GAM bombers go on trial
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra
The Medan district court is scheduled to begin the trial next week in Medan of 11 alleged members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) on charges of planting bombs in three separate locations in Medan last year and early this year.
This was announced on Wednesday by the president of the Medan District Court, Sulthoni Muhdally, after he received the files on the 11 defendants from the head of the Medan prosecutors' office, Nawir Annas.
"If there are no holdups, the first trial will begin next week," Sulthoni told reporters at his office, adding that he would soon appoint the judges to preside over the trials.
The 11 defendants would be tried separately, he said.
Security, provided by both police and soldiers, would be tight, with only a limited number of spectators being allowed into each courtroom.
To enable those spectators excluded from the courtrooms to witness the trials, the district court would provide closed circuit televisions outside.
According to Sulthoni, the district court would begin on Thursday arranging the schedule for the trials of the 11 defendants and the judges who will hear them.
Meanwhile, Nawir said that the Medan prosecutors' office would charge eight out of the 11 defendants with terrorism under Antiterrorism Law No. 15/2003.
The three other defendants would be charged with treason under State Emergency Law No. 23/1959 and the Criminal Code, he said.
"All the charges carry the death sentence. But, whether they will get death depends on what happens in court," Nawir told The Jakarta Post.
The eight defendants charged with terrorism are alleged to have been involved in a bomb blast that occurred in the parking lot of Medan City Hall on March 31, and another one at a gas installation belonging to state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina on Jl. Yos Sudarso here on April 1. No fatalities were reported in either incident.
These eight defendants are Deli Manaf Abdi, 62, the alleged GAM commander overseeing Medan; Tengku Johan, 68, an alleged GAM spiritual leader; Masrul, 40, the alleged GAM military commander overseeing the Medan-Deli area; Ridwan, 34, an alleged GAM intelligence operative in the Medan-Deli area; and three other alleged members of GAM operating in the Medan-Deli area Musliadi, 25, Anwar Adam, 32 and Tengku Said Azhar, 40.
Meanwhile, the three defendants charged with treason are alleged to have been involved in a bomb blast at the Hotel Best Western Asean International on Aug. 17 last year. No casualties were reported in the blast.
The three defendants are Muhammad Yahya, 48, the alleged GAM deputy commander overseeing the Medan-Deli area, Abdullah bin Sulaiman, 39, an alleged GAM intelligence operative and Teuku Mustafa Halim, 45, an alleged GAM treasurer.
All 11 defendants are now being detained at the Tanjung Gusta penitentiary in Medan.
Nawir said that the Medan prosecutors' office had appointed four of its staff to prosecute the 11 defendants.