Arrested playwright, activists sue police

Arrested playwright, activists sue police

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights
Association (PBHI) has filed a pre-trial lawsuit against the
police over the arrest of the playwright Ratna Sarumpaet and
eight other activists last Tuesday.

PBHI's executive director Hendardi told journalists here
yesterday that the suit was filed against the North Jakarta
Police Chief and the City Police Chief for allegedly detaining
the nine for a period in excess of the 24 hours permitted without
an arrest warrant last week.

"We filed the pre-trial suits at the North Jakarta District
Court," Hendardi said.

The nine were arrested during a Tuesday morning raid on a
seaside bungalow in the Ancol recreational park in North Jakarta
where they had planned to hold a "People's Summit" involving
government critics and pro-democracy leaders.

Hendardi claimed that the necessary arrest warrant was issued
more than eight hours after the 24 hour legal deadline had
expired.

According to Hendardi, Sarumpaet has also been accused of
insulting and spreading hatred and enmity against the government,
a charge that can carry up to seven years in jail.

The other eight detainees, who include Ratna's daughter Fathom
Saulina and PBHI lawyer Alexius Surya Tjahaya Tomu, each face up
to one year in jail.

Hendardi asserted his firm objection to the charges, saying
that the 1963 law restricting political activities on which the
charges are based was a product of the Old Order government which
proceeded Soeharto's New Order.

"It is ironic that ... the New Order is keen to use legal
products of the Old Order," he remarked.

"The government must revoke the law and replace it with one
that guarantees freedom of expression."

Security authorities banned all mass gatherings and street
rallies one week before and after the 11-day General Session of
the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) that returned Soeharto
to his seventh consecutive term in office on Wednesday.

Ratna is an activist in Siaga, a pro-democracy group which
supported the two prominent figures who nominated themselves as
presidential candidates.

However, both candidates, Amien Rais, the outspoken leader of
the 28-million strong Muhammadiyah Moslem organization and
Megawati Soekarnoputri, the ousted leader of the Indonesian
Democratic Party, failed to gain any support from the Assembly.
(byg)