Lawyers criticize regent's decision

Lawyers criticize regent's decision

JAKARTA (JP): Lawyers representing suspects in the Bekasi rape
and robbery case say the plan to try the defendants at the civil
servants' hall, instead of the court building is against the law.

"Conducting the trial at a place other than a court is against
the law," Petrus Bala Pattyona, one of the lawyers told The
Jakarta Post here yesterday.

Under the law, when the safety of defendants, lawyers, or
other participants in the trial proceedings cannot be guaranteed
in the local court, a trial can be moved to another court in
another area. "Why didn't the Bekasi authorities chose a Jakarta
district court for the Acan case trial?"

Petrus said it would be wiser for the trial to be conducted in
Jakarta, considering that he and fellow defense lawyers have been
terrorized by anonymous telephone calls since they filed a
lawsuit against the police for unlawful arrest in August.

He said because emotions were running high in relation to the
Acan case among the public in Bekasi, conducting the trial in the
area was unacceptable.

"But if the government means to have the trial done in Bekasi,
we will have to check the legality of the trial venue," he said.

The Bekasi administration has decided that the trial of the 11
defendants charged with robbing the house of Acan in Bekasi and
raping his wife and two daughters will be at the Bekasi civil
servants' building.

The decision has been made because the Bekasi courthouse is
being renovated, court officials said.

The public views the situation differently. Local people think
the decision was made by the regency administration to prevent
incidents like those which occurred during the hearings on the
unlawful arrest suit filed against the Bekasi police two months
ago.

The crowd of courtroom visitors, most of whom were incensed at
the nature of the crime for which the suspects had been arrested,
attacked their lawyers twice during those hearings.

The defense lawyers then withdrew their lawsuit against the
Bekasi police, saying that the authorities had failed to protect
them.

Petrus said that the criminal trial, which is supposed to
start next week, will involve about 20 lawyers. "But up to this
time, we have not received the trial session schedule," he said.

Yesterday Petrus and 30 of his colleagues filed a complaint
with the National Commission on Human Rights, saying that the
police and government officials had been harassing lawyers. The
arrest and beating of lawyers who are defending clients are
unlawful actions, the lawyers told the commission yesterday. (03)