Government to defend Lumintang over rights case
Government to defend Lumintang over rights case
JAKARTA (JP): The government will defend Ministry of Defense
secretary-general Lt. Gen. Johny Lumintang, who is facing an in-
absentia trial in the United States over his alleged role in East
Timor rights violations.
Minister of Defense Mahfud MD said that if the U.S. court
declares Johny guilty, the Indonesian government will file an
appeal.
"It is a unilateral case. If the court finds him guilty then
we'll fight against the verdict and file an appeal," Mahfud told
journalists on Tuesday.
He said that Johny is facing prosecution in a civil court, not
a criminal court, as the case was initiated by several non-
governmental organizations in the U.S..
New York-based Representatives of the Center for
Constitutional Rights and the San Francisco-based Center for
Justice and Accountability, on behalf of East Timorese
plaintiffs, submitted dossiers to the U.S. court in April last
year over Johny's alleged role in rights violations in the former
Indonesian province in 1999, when Johny was the Army's deputy
chief of staff.
The Indonesian government earlier advised Johny not to meet
any summons from the U.S. court, but could instead ask his
lawyers to attend the court hearing.
Mahfud said the Indonesian government could not do anything
except provide advice for Johny because the lawsuit was not filed
by the U.S. government.
"If, after filing the appeal, we still cannot free him, the
Indonesian government should be responsible for the punishment as
he is still a state official," he said.
Separately, Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab told The
Jakarta Post that the government will ensure that Johny does not
incur any costs from the case, and will fully support him in the
case.
"We will make sure that things work out well for pak Johny. I
have ordered our embassy in the United States to keep an eye on
the trial. But, basically, we will not allow Johny to suffer any
negative impact," Alwi said.
He underlined that, at the moment, the government cannot do
anything to stop the trial as even the U.S. government could not
interfere in the judicial process. (dja)