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)