Evictees get bad lot in life
Urip Hudiono, Jakarta
As if being evicted from their homes was not enough, 32 former occupants of a vacant lot in Tanjung Duren Selatan, West Jakarta, have now been charged for damaging the lot owner's property.
At the opening of the trial, presided over by Judge Heribertus Mudjito at the West Jakarta District Court on Thursday, prosecutor Jefri accused 16 of the defendants of violating Article 170(1) of the Criminal Code, for deliberately and collectively using violence against a person's property.
The article carries a maximum sentence of five years and six months in prison.
The prosecutor also accused the residents of violating Article 406 by deliberately destroying, damaging or rendering a person's property useless, which carries a maximum sentence of two years and eight months in jail.
In a separate hearing presided over by Judge Robinson Tarigan, prosecutors brought the same charges against 16 other residents.
Jefri said the defendants, led by Derman Purba, joined in a crowd of fellow evicted residents on April 8, who were trying to tear down a concrete wall surrounding the area they once lived.
"The defendants' actions caused the destruction of the wall and losses of some Rp 150 million (US$15,957) to the victim, (lot owner) Agustina Munawar," Jefri said.
Lawyer Sopar Sitinjak of the Mawar Saron legal aid foundation, requested a two-week adjournment to allow the defense to prepare its arguments because of the large number of its clients. He was overruled by both judges, who gave him a single week.
Some evicted residents who attended the hearing, questioned the trial's validity. They said the State Administrative Court in March had upheld their legal right to the disputed lot. The defendants said they were just acting in accordance with the court's verdict.
The heirs of Munawar bin Salbini, who also claim to own the lot have filed an appeal against that court verdict.
About 690 families living on the plot of land located next to the Taman Anggrek Mall were forcefully evicted in September.
Most of them sought the help of the National Commission of Human Rights, while others moved to live under nearby bridges.