Court rejects journalists' lawsuit

Court rejects journalists' lawsuit

JAKARTA: The South Jakarta District Court turned down on
Tuesday the lawsuit filed by two press associations against the
government, police and the Indonesian military (TNI) for not
prosecuting a soldier linked to the murder of a reporter in 1996.

The panel of five judges, led by Judge Tusani Djafri, ruled
that the district court had no jurisdiction to hear the case
filed by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the
South East Asia Press Alliance (SEAPA).

"The plaintiff shall bring the case to the state
administrative court instead, as it is connected to alleged abuse
by the authorities," Tusani said at the hearing.

The plaintiffs' lawyer, Daniel Panjaitan, would appeal the
verdict.

A journalist with Yogyakarta-based Bernas daily, Muhammad
"Udin" Syafiudin, was killed in 1996 following his report on an
alleged corruption case involving officials of Bantul regency,
which led to the dismissal of the regent.

Second Adj. Insp. Edy Wuryanto stood trial at the military
tribunal for throwing Udin's blood-stained shirt, which was
supposedly key evidence, into the sea. The case remains unsolved.

A witness, Dwi Sumadji, said he saw Edy beat Udin before he
was killed by a group of people, but was instead named a suspect
in the case and was tried, although he was acquitted. -- JP