General faces 10-years sentence

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.