Lawyer named winner of rights award
JAKARTA (JP): A Surabaya-based lawyer known for his handling of numerous controversial cases pitting him against the government was named this year's recipient of the Yap Thiam Hien human rights award.
The Foundation of the Center for the Study of Human Rights (Yapusham) announced yesterday that this year's award goes to Trimoelya D. Soerjadi.
Trimoelya rose to prominence for the way he defended a company director accused of masterminding the killing of labor activist Marsinah last year. Although Judi Susanto, his client and also owner of watch making factor PT Catur Putra Surya in Surabaya, was convicted at the district court and sentenced to 17 years in jail, he won an appeal to the High Court for his acquittal.
Under the chairmanship of human rights lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, Yapusham presents the award annually on Human Rights Day, which falls on Dec. 10. The award is in memory of Yap Thiam Hien, a prominent human rights advocate who died in 1989.
The jury for this year's award were Abdurrahman Wahid, the leader of Moslem socio-educational organization Nahdlatul Ulama, Adnan Buyung Nasution, chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation, Amartiwi Saleh, a Bandung-based respected lawyer, Dr. Deliar Noer, a political scholar at the University of Indonesia, and Y.B. Mangunwijaya, a noted author.
The jury decided to give the award to Trimoelya for his continuous struggle in the defense of human rights, which peaked in the case of Marsinah.
"Since the beginning, he (Trimoelya) sensed that there must be an "engineering" in the trial of Marsinah case. And he had been determined to disclose it," Buyung said.
Ironically, Trimoelya followed in the footsteps of Marsinah, who was posthumously awarded the Yap Thiam Hien Award last year for her struggle in the cause of her colleague workers.
Nine people, all directors and staff of Judi Susanto, were convicted for her murder. But their trials were fraught with controversy from the time of their arrests to the time they were convicted. Allegations that their rights were trampled during arrest and interrogation prompted the National Commission on Human Rights early this year to launch an investigation. Its findings stated that there were indications of such violations.
"I am grateful for being given the award," Trimoelya said later yesterday when contacted by phone in Surabaya. "I want to be a good and professional lawyer," he said, explaining why he had strived for the promotion of human rights.
Guts
He said he was concerned with the implementation of human rights in the country. "Somebody must have the guts to confront the authorities. Otherwise, the condition will get worse."
Trimoelya, 55, was given the award not only because of the Marsinah case, but because of his long struggle for human rights, according to the foundation.
Trimoelya, who handled a number of controversial cases, had become the target of terror campaigns by unanimous callers, who threatened to take his life. These campaigns were believed to be connected with the various cases he handled.
In 1986 Trimoelya, a believer of the fact that human rights must be respected regardless of religion, ethnicity, political belief, defended a married couple of Chinese descent who were accused of assaulting their housemaids.
Another controversial case he dealt with involved David Hendra, a Christian priest charged with disgracing Moslem people in 1992.
Long before that, in 1981, Trimoelya sued the government for increasing the TV subscription fee, reminding the defendant not to act arbitrarily and at the same time try to improve the consumers' rights.
Trimoelya, now the chairman of the East Java chapter of the Indonesian Bar Association (Ikadin) has been active in the defense of human rights since he was a student.
He had been a member of the Surabaya city council, representing the ruling Golkar party, before he decided to quit the politics. He realized that in such a position he could not do much to promote human rights. Therefore, he concentrated on his profession as a lawyer. (imn/sim)