General faces 10-years sentence

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Prosecutors in an ad hoc rights tribunal demanded on Wednesday a 10-year prison term for a retired Army general who was charged with committing a crime against humanity in the bloody Tanjung Priok massacre that left at least 14 Muslim protesters dead in 1984.

The prosecutors said Maj. Gen. (ret.) Rudolph Adolph Butar- Butar, then a lieutenant colonel and head of the North Jakarta district military command, had failed to prevent or halt the systematic killing of civilians when in fact he had the authority to prevent the crime from happening.

"As a commander, the defendant did nothing to prevent his troops from committing the killings, nor did he hand them over for legal action afterward," prosecutor Muhammad Yusuf told the courtroom.

Under Law No. 26/2000 on human rights, if convicted the defendant could face a minimum of 10 years in prison or the maximum death sentence.

During the incident, the defendant was in charge of the 40- strong Platoon III of the Air Defense Artillery Battalion based in North Jakarta. The platoon was deployed on orders from the district military command to guard the military compound and important public facilities in the vicinity against the possible attack of angry protesters.

The protesters were demanding the release of four people who were being held in the compound. They had barely reached the compound when troops opened fire.

In the prosecution, it was said that at least 14 people were killed and 11 others injured when soldiers ran on a rampage and shot Muslim protesters on Sept. 12, 1984 -- an exemplary case of the gross violation of the human rights of civilians during the 32-years of president Soeharto's authoritarian regime.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) put the death toll at 33, but military authorities said only nine people were killed. Families of the victims, however, claim that almost 400 Muslim protesters were killed during the incident.

Speaking after the trial, the defendant expressed his disappointment with the prosecutors' demand. "I was just doing my duty for my country. However, I am ready to accept it (the sentence)," he said.

The trial was adjourned until April 7, when a defense statement will be heard.