Bogor Police asked to reexamine three students in Dadang case

JAKARTA (JP): Bogor Police have been urged to requestion three students from Juanda University who were charged with beating a police officer to death.

The demand was made on Tuesday by the three students and their lawyers at a meeting with Bogor Regional Police chief Col. Abubakar Nataprawira.

Daniel Panjaitan of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute said on behalf of the three students -- Tb. Ade Imanuddin, Syaifullah and Emon Wahyudi -- that a new interrogation was needed to find fresh evidence.

"Our clients were under pressure when they were interrogated at the police detention for nearly one month. It violates the Criminal Code Procedures," Daniel told The Jakarta Post.

Moreover, the students were also tortured, he said. "We will report the torture to the Bogor Military Police."

He admitted that the police had appointed two lawyers, identified as Agus Mujiman and Andi M Yusuf of Mitra law office in Bogor, to accompany the students, but the appointment was rejected by the students.

"We hope the police give our clients a chance to give their honest explanations. The police will be happy if the death of Dadang can be revealed fairly and honestly," he said.

According to Daniel, Abubakar will decide today whether to agree to the students' request.

He said Abubakar also allowed the students to report to the police once a week instead of twice a week as demanded during their release.

The three students were released Friday in response to mounting demand from the students' colleagues. Despite the release the police said they would continue to charge the three with beating Second. Lt. Dadang Rusmana to death and take the case to the court.

Police accused the three students of beating Dadang in a demonstration in front of the university's mosque on May 9.

The case became controversial when forensic expert Yuli Budiningsih of the Indonesian Red Cross Bogor Hospital publicly revealed that Dadang's death was caused by a heart attack and not by a beating.

Daniel said yesterday that Yuli would be questioned by Bogor police today about her conclusions following the autopsy.

He said Yuli would be accompanied by the head of the forensic department at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Budi Sampurna. (jun)