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