Christian leader brought to trial over Poso violence

Christian leader brought to trial over Poso violence

La Remy, The Jakarta Post, Palu, Central Sulawesi

The Palu District Court opened on Monday the trial of the
Reverend Reinaldy Damanik, accused of arms possession in the
troubled town of Poso, Central Sulawesi.

During the one-hour session, which began at 10 a.m.,
prosecutors charged the defendant with "controlling, carrying and
transporting" firearms and ammunition in Poso.

Chief prosecutor I Putu Gde Djeladha said the defendant was
guilty of violating Emergency Law No. 12/1951, which carries a
penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

The Christian leader is charged with possessing dozens of
rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, which authorities
believe were intended for use by Christians in the prolonged
sectarian conflict in Poso.

Djeladha said that last Aug. 17, police found several homemade
rifles and bullets in Damanik's Kijang, which was carrying
Damanik and several others from the village of Paleru in Morowali
regency, adjacent to Poso.

The village had just been the target of attack by a group of
Muslims.

The prosecutor said Damanik's driver, Sartob -- who is a key
witness in the case -- had advised his employer to unload the
weapons from the car, but Damanik ignored the advice.

Djeladha said police also found homemade guns in the two cars
that were escorting Damanik's Kijang from Paleru, where the
Christian leader had led an evacuation of Christian victims of
the earlier attack.

"As the coordinator of the Crisis Center and the leader of the
evacuation team, Damanik should be held responsible for all
activities he and his team carried out at that time," Djeladha
said.

The defendant has repeatedly disavowed ownership of the
weapons, accusing the police of planting the weapons in his car.

On Monday, Damanik denied all of the charges against him when
the panel of judges asked him how he pled.

The defendant's lawyer, Jhonson Panjaitan, told journalists
after the session that the case against his client was
politically motivated and vowed to disprove all the charges at
the next hearing.

Jhonson also questioned why the police did not immediately
arrest Damanik when they allegedly found the rifles and
ammunition.

Police have said that attempts to arrest Damanik in Poso were
foiled by his followers, forcing the authorities to summon
Damanik to Jakarta for questioning.

The Christian leader complied with the summons on Sept. 11,
appearing for questioning at the National Police Headquarters in
Jakarta, where he was eventually arrested.

Damanik is currently being held at the Palu Prosecutor's
Office, which twice returned the defendant's dossier to local
police investigators for revisions.

The hearing on Monday, which was presided over by judge Nyoman
Sumanada, who is accompanied on the bench by judges Tahsin and
Ferdinandus, was guarded by more than 50 police officers despite
a low turnout in the court.

The trial was adjourned until Feb. 10, at which time the
defense will be given the opportunity to lay out their case.

Damanik was one of the Christian leaders who signed the Malino
peace agreement in December 2001 to end the conflict between
Muslims and Christians in Poso, which claimed the lives of some
2,000 people over three years of violence.

The landmark accord has significantly reduced violence in the
area, but sporadic outbreaks continue to occur.