Eurico put under house arrest by court
Eurico put under house arrest by court
JAKARTA (JP): The North Jakarta District Court decided on
Monday to change former East Timorese pro-Indonesia leader Eurico
Guterres' arrest status from state arrest in Salemba
Penitentiary, Central Jakarta, to house arrest.
The defendant's arrest status was changed because he has been
cooperative during the trial process and has assured the judges
that he will not try to escape, according to the panel of judges
presided over by Suwardi.
"From now and on, the defendant will be under house arrest at
a house in the Cipayung area in East Jakarta," Suwardi told the
hearing.
Eurico, head of the feared Aitarak pro-Jakarta militia, is
standing trial on charges of inciting violence and illegal
possession of weapons.
According to the indictment, he ordered his followers last
Sept. 24 to take back weapons they had surrendered to the Belu
Police in East Nusa Tenggara as a part of a disarmament program.
If found guilty, he could face up to five years in jail.
Political deputy of East Nusa Tenggara Regional Development
Planning Agency Florensio Mario Parera, 36, testified at the
hearing that Eurico and East Timorese pro-Indonesia militia
commander John Savares were present at a meeting to discuss a UN
resolution which urged the government to disarm militiamen.
The meeting, which took place in Denpasar on Nov. 24, was held
by the Office of the Coordinating Minister for Political, Social
and Security Affairs. Indonesia Military Commander Adm. Widodo
A.S, then minister of justice and human rights Yusril Ihza
Mahendra, home minister Lt. Gen (Ret) Surjadi Sudirdja, then
National Police chief Gen. Rusdihardjo, former Udayana Military
commander Maj. Gen. Kiki Syahnakrie and former East Nusa Tenggara
Police chief John Lalo were also present at the meeting.
He said the militias were aware that they would save the
nation from UN sanctions if they surrendered their weapons. East
Timorese militia leaders, including Eurico, then coordinated with
the Belu Police for the militia's disarmament.
Two other former members of East Timorese pro-Indonesia
militia, Marcelino Mateus Perez and A. Latief, also testified at
the hearing.
Marcelino and Latief said that Eurico ordered them to
surrender weapons to the Belu Military District Command. They
said provincial military chief Kiki Syahnakrie observed
militiamen surrender five weapons, taken from the police, to the
Belu Military District Command.
The hearing was scheduled to hear the testimony of operations
assistant to National Police chief Brig. Gen. Sutiyono and former
East Nusa Tenggara Police chief John Lalo, but they failed to
appear at the court.
The coordinator of Eurico's team of lawyers, Nicolay, told the
judges that he would withdraw from the defense team because he
was scheduled to testify at the next hearing.
The trial was adjourned until Feb. 22. (01)