Judges cut short rights hearing

JAKARTA: Human rights ad hoc judges cut short the reading of the sentence request on Monday against three suspects in the 1999 East Timor human rights abuse hearing due to the defenders' protest against the prosecutors' failure to put forward an expert witness.

Prosecutor Harry Izmi was reading the list of witnesses when lawyer Yan Djuanda Saputra found that the name of witness A.S.S. Tambunan was included as a defense witness but his statements had yet to be heard in court.

Presiding Judge Cicut Sutiarso later ordered the prosecutors to produce Tambunan for a hearing on Thursday.

Former Liquica regent Leonito Martins, former military commander overseeing the regency Lt. Col. Asep Kuswani and former police chief Adios Salova are charged with neglecting their duty to prevent subordinates from attacking the residence of Catholic priest Rafael dos Santos on April 6, 1999. Dozens were killed in the incident. -- JP