Assault victim protests trial postponement

Assault victim protests trial postponement

Theresia Sufa, Bogor

Reny Chandriachsja Suwarso, 38, a lecturer in the Department of
Social and Political Studies at the University of Indonesia, and
several of her students protested to Cibinong District Court head
Andi Samsan Nganro over a delay in the hearing of an assault
complaint filed by her.

Reny said presiding judge Djoko Soeseno had announced at the
last hearing on May 26 that he would announce his verdict in the
case on June 16. But she received a telephone call on June 10
from prosecutor Kosasih, who said the hearing had been
rescheduled to June 14.

However, on June 14 the hearing had to be postponed because
Djoko was on leave while the other two members of the panel of
judges simply failed to appear.

Reny was also upset because the district court schedule said
the hearing on Monday was to hear from the defense, not to hear
the verdict as she had been told.

Another prosecutor, Ida, confirmed the verdict should have
been delivered on Monday, as scheduled by prosecutors and the
court clerk.

"I called Pak Djoko this morning (Monday) but he said he was
on leave," she said.

Prosecutors earlier demanded the court sentence two
researchers at the University of Indonesia -- Herryansah
Iberamsjah, 29, a social and political studies researcher, and
Nirwansyah Iberamsjah, 23, a researcher in law and technology --
to a year in prison for assaulting Reny and several students at
the university.

The two were accused of violating Article 351 of the Criminal
Code on assault, which carries a maximum punishment of 32 months
in prison.

The incident began when students and lecturers at the
university came out in opposition to the appointment of the
defendants' father, Iberamsjah, as the head of the Department of
Social and Political Studies on Sept. 23, 2003. Opponents charged
that the appointment was in violation of university regulations.

According to witnesses, demonstrating students approached Reny
and asked whether they could attend the installment ceremony for
Iberamsjah.

The witnesses said that when Reny went to speak to several
security guards about whether the students could enter the hall
where the ceremony was taking place, she bumped into Herryansah
who in turn punched her. At the same time, Nirwansyah is alleged
to have attacked two students, Rheinhard Sirait and Yudi Fajar M.
Wahyu.