Court acquits Catholic priest and his brother

Court acquits Catholic priest and his brother

JAKARTA (JP): Bekasi District Court acquitted Catholic priest
Ignatius Sandyawan Sumardi and his brother Benny Sumardi of
charges of harboring activists accused of masterminding the July
27 riot in Jakarta in 1996.

Presiding judge Den Sjarfuni said in his verdict that
providing shelter for the three activists was all well-
intentioned and conformed with the Jesuit priest's humanitarian
duties.

The help was extended in an emergency situation to people who
feared for their safety and the defendants had no intentions that
could be considered unlawful, Sjarfuni said.

The courtroom erupted into cheers when Sjarfuni finished
reading the verdict. Sandyawan and Benny rose and hugged each
other before they shook hands with the judges.

The state prosecutors said they would need time to decide if
they would appeal the verdict.

Sandyawan, 39, and Benny, 45, were charged with harboring
Democratic People's Party (PRD) chairman Budiman Sudjatmiko and
activists Yakobus Eko Kurniawan and Petrus Hari Haryanto, who the
authorities accused of masterminding the July 27 riot.

The riot erupted after a government-back faction of the
Indonesian Democratic Party stormed the party headquarters, which
was controlled by supporters of the democratically elected
Megawati Soekarnoputri.

According to the National Commission on Human Rights, five
people were killed and 23 went missing in the riot that left an
extensive trail of damage.

Budiman and more than a dozen other PRD activists were jailed
last year after the court found them guilty of subversion.

Sandyawan also leads a social institute called Institut Sosial
Jakarta, which focuses its activities on helping the poor and the
oppressed.

In previous trials it was disclosed that the activists sought
shelter with Sandyawan but, later, he transferred them to Benny,
a furniture businessman living in Bekasi.

Delighted by the verdict, Sandyawan's lawyer Luhut MP
Pangaribuan said the judges' reasons for acquitting the brothers
were "very good".

"I believe the judges listened to their conscience when making
the ruling," he told The Jakarta Post.

The verdict should serve as a precedent for judges who handle
cases of a similar nature, said Pangaribuan, who defended the
accused with Suhana Natawilyana, Dwiyanto Prihartono and Abdul
Hakim Garuda Nusantara.

Father Sandyawan said he was relieved the judges had listened
to his arguments and used their moral judgment to make the
verdict.

"I'm glad to learn that moral considerations could overcome
legal arguments in our case," he told The Post by telephone.

He said the trial would not discourage him from helping the
poor and the oppressed, adding that the verdict should inspire
other judges to use moral considerations.

"We have endured all these troubles, terrors and tricks aimed
at cornering us," he said. "But I believe the poor people we
defend are more miserable than we are." (pan)