Bans on PRD, critical book lifted, court rules

Bans on PRD, critical book lifted, court rules

JAKARTA (JP): A court has lifted the ban on the Democratic
People's Party (PRD) which was blamed for the July 1996 riots and
the Attorney General's Office has overturned the ban on a book
written by labor leader Muchtar Pakpahan.

The developments were announced here yesterday by lawyers from
the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute.

Paulus Mahulette, who represented the PRD in the case against
their ban, said a panel of judges presided over by Is Sudarianto
at the Jakarta State Administrative Court annulled the Minister
of Home Affairs decree banning the organization, saying it was
unlawful.

In their argument, the judges said the PRD was a political
organization and should therefore have been subject to the 1985
law on political organizations.

The ban was based on the 1975 law on mass organizations, "so
it (the decree banning the organization) was inappropriate,"
Paulus, who filed the lawsuit against the government over the ban
earlier this year, said in a statement yesterday.

In September 1997, the government outlawed the PRD and its
affiliate organizations and ordered its members to dissolve the
party.

The Minister of Home Affairs, the National Police, the
Attorney General's Office, the Armed Forces Headquarters and the
State Intelligence Coordinating Body said in a joint statement
then that the PRD and its affiliate organizations had disturbed
national stability and order.

The announcement was made after PRD leaders were thrown into
jail for allegedly masterminding the July 27, 1996 riot which
broke out following the forced takeover of the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) headquarters in Central Jakarta.

PRD chairman Budiman Sudjatmiko and 13 colleagues, including
female activist Dita Indah Sari, were sentenced to between 18
months and 13 years in jail for subversion last year.

However, four of them -- Wilson, Ken Budha Kusumandaru, Coen
Husein Pontoh and Mohamad Sholeh -- were among 73 political
prisoners recently pardoned by President B.J. Habibie in his
fervor to demonstrate he is different from his autocratic
predecessor Soeharto. The latter resigned on May 21 of this year.

Wilson, 30, who leads the PRD affiliated Center for Indonesian
Labor Strife, told reporters that he was surprised by the court's
decision.

"But the revocation should be followed by the release of all
political prisoners, including the PRD activists," said Wilson, a
graduate from the University of Indonesia School of Letters.

Budiman, who is serving a 13-year jail term in East Jakarta's
Cipinang prison along with other PRD activists and the jailed
East Timorese rebel leader Jose "Alexandre" Xanana Gusmao, last
month demanded that the government release all political
prisoners unconditionally.

Wilson said the PRD would hold a media conference at the
Jakarta Legal Aid Institute's office in Central Jakarta today.

Meanwhile, lawyer Azet Hutabarat, also from the institute,
said the Attorney General's Office revoked the ban on Pakpahan's
book Rakyat Menggugat (The People's Suit) on Aug. 7.

Azet said that a panel of judges led by Marina Sidabutar read
out the decision to lift the ban in an appeal hearing also held
at the Jakarta State Administrative Court.

Azet led the team working for Pakpahan in his appeal against
the ban.

The Attorney General's Office banned the book in January,
saying it was a danger to national stability.

Pakpahan then filed a lawsuit demanding the decision be
overturned. He also argued the book should remain on sale while
the case was in progress. (byg)