Jakarta Police release students without charges
Jakarta Police release students without charges
JAKARTA (JP): City police released without charge on Friday
six students who had been in custody after red-handedly found
lowering the national flag at the Attorney General's Office
compound in South Jakarta the day before.
The six left city police headquarters at 11 a.m, escorted by
dozens of their friends.
Muhammad Ismail Sambas, one of the students, said they were
released by the police after hours of investigation.
"The investigation process started from Thursday afternoon and
ended at around midday," said Sambas, a student at Moestopo
Beragama University.
Along with Sambas, the police arrested Bonny Zaki, Dwi Hananto
Setiawan, Reni Erlina, Rinita and Rifka.
The six students, along with 31 other protesters grouped under
the Jakarta Student Action Committee (KAM Jakarta) and the
Bandung-based Young Indonesia Front (FIM Bandung), were taken to
city police headquarters on Thursday after they staged a protest
at the office on Thursday.
The six were charged with insulting the country's red-and-
white flag after they lowered the one in the office compound half
the way down its 12-meter-long pole. The other 31 protesters were
allowed to leave the same day after being briefed by police
personnel.
South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Sup. Edward Aritonang said
earlier on Thursday that the protesters could face a maximum four
years in jail each for insulting the national flag, as stipulated
in Article 154 of the Criminal Code.
The students rejected the charge, saying that they were only
intending to show the public that they had yet to enjoy real
independence.
"Indonesian people are not really free as military men are
still present in the legislative bodies," the students said.
Acting city police spokesman Supt. Alex Mandalika confirmed
the release of the six students.
"The students were released from all charges since the police
didn't have sufficient evidence that they had really humiliated
the national flag," he said at his office. (asa)