Court acquits Iwik of journalist's murder
Court acquits Iwik of journalist's murder
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Dwi Sumaji alias Iwik, the sole suspect in
the highly publicized murder of journalist Fuad Muhammad
Syafruddin, was acquitted by the Bantul District Court here
Thursday.
A panel of judges presided over by Endang Sri Murwati said
that based on the testimonies of witnesses and the suspect
himself, the court found no evidence that Iwik had tortured the
journalist on the night of Aug. 13, 1996.
The journalist, better known as Udin, was beaten by an
unidentified person or group of people. He died without regaining
consciousness on Aug. 16, 1996.
Murwati said two pieces of evidence would have been enough to
warrant a guilty verdict.
"That is why the panel of judges agreed with the public
prosecutors who earlier demanded that Iwik be acquitted," she
said. "Dwi Sumaji has not been found guilty of committing any
criminal offense."
Iwik seemed calm when listening to the judges who took turns
in reading the verdict. He broke into a smile when the judges
declared him not guilty.
"Alhamdulillah (praise Allah). I am so relieved and happy as
they have made a fair decision," he said.
One of his lawyers, Triyandi Mulkan, also expressed
satisfaction over the decision which he described as meeting the
public's demand for justice. He said the team of legal counsel
was ready to represent Iwik should he decide to sue the police.
Prosecutor Amrin Naim was given tight security in the court
session, which was guarded by some 200 police personnel.
The verdict said the charges against Iwik could not be proven
and he was thus being set free. All costs incurred during his
trial would be borne by the state, it said.
"Dwi Sumaji's name must be restored," the verdict said.
The judges also instructed that all evidence, including Iwik's
clothes, wristwatch and scooter, be returned to him.
Other evidence, such as the steel pipe believed to have been
used to kill Udin, was to be destroyed, the verdict said.
Udin was known for his critical reporting about the Bantul
regency's administration policies.
Iwik's arrest drew wide criticism after it became known the
police used some questionable practices during their
investigation, including the use of alcohol, intimidation and a
call girl to force a confession from Iwik. In addition, police
investigator Eddy Wuryanto reportedly threw a sample of Udin's
blood into the sea to ask for divine help in solving the case.
Train
In Jakarta, National Police Chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo said the
police accepted and respected the court's decision.
He also said the police had been serious in handling the case,
complying with the prosecutors office's orders to complete a new
dossier every time the office rejected the document because of
various flaws.
"(The prosecutor's office made police go) back and forth like
a train. Isn't that proof enough of how serious police were in
handling the case?" Dibyo was quoted by Antara as saying.
"We respect the ruling but we remain steadfast in our
conviction, based on evidence and testimonies, that Iwik was the
one who ... caused Udin's death," he said.
Dibyo said that should new evidence or new suspects emerge,
the case could be reopened.
Meanwhile, Soegiri and Djoko Moeljono of the National
Commission on Human Rights who attended the court session praised
on Thursday the judges' independence as shown in their ruling.
Meanwhile, a lawyer of Udin's wife, Marsiyem, expressed relief
at the verdict and said it indirectly served to disprove the
allegation earlier made in court that Udin's death was brought
about by his affair with Iwik's wife, Sunarti.
"This shows that the allegation was unfounded," Budi Hartono
said. "However, police have therefore tarnished the name of a
deceased person.
"The National Police chief should apologize to Udin's family,"
said the lawyer from the Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute. (23/swa)