Court delays Adam indictment

Court delays Adam indictment

JAKARTA: The ad hoc human rights court decided Thursday on a
delay, until May 6, the indictment of former Udayana Military
commander Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri as the defendant failed to turn
up due to state duties.

Prosecutor S. Hozie told the court that Adam was assigned by
the Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto to
Aceh from April 22 to April 30 to evaluate the ongoing peace
process ahead of the Joint Council meeting scheduled for Friday
in Geneva, Switzerland.

A defense lawyer of the defendant, AB Setiawan, said however
his client left for the restive province earlier on Thursday.

This is the second time the court postponed the hearing, which
was expected to hear prosecutors' demand of sentence for Adam,
who is accused of human rights abuses in East Timor following a
UN-sponsored ballot in August 1999. The violation carries a
minimum jail sentence of 10 years under the Law No. 26/2000.

Despite admitting that he was ready to read a 100-page
indictment, prosecutor S. Hozie said that his team had not
decided on the minimum sentence demanded for Adam. -- JP