Lawyers demand charges against policemen be dropped

JAKARTA (JP): Defense lawyers for nine policemen being tried for the 1998 shooting of four student protesters, which triggered mass riots, demanded on Thursday that charges against them be dropped.

Lawyer Hotma Sitompoel told a military tribunal in Jakarta presided over by Let. Col. A.R. Tampubolon that the prosecutors' charges were riddled with inconsistencies.

The military prosecutors did not clearly detail whose weapons fired upon which victim, while laboratory analysis revealed that the same projectile could have been fired from 18 different types of rifles.

"Prosecutors said that the students were killed by 5.56 caliber bullets fired from Steyr rifles. In fact, besides Steyr rifles, there are at least 18 other weapons that use the same type of bullet," Hotma said, before listing the models of weapons in detail.

Hotma also said that the prosecution had limited their investigation to the Steyr rifles held by the defendants, while there were some other armed security personnel sent to the scene, including those identified as "illegal troops" stationed at the same place as the defendants.

Hotma also said that the prosecutors hid the results of ballistic tests held by two laboratories in Canada and Ireland that did not state that "the bullets could only be fired from a Steyr rifle."

"As the prosecutor tried to hide this important evidence, we ask for the judges' special attention on this matter," Hotma told the court.

During the trial, nine low-ranking officers of 11 defendants were present. They are Second Insp. Erick Kadir Sully, 27, Second Brig. Raul Da Costa, 25, First Adj. Brig. Suparwanto, 26, Second Brig. Joko Irwanto, 24, Second Brig. Tedy Iskandar, 25, Second Brig. Anang Yulianto, 25, Second Brig. Cahyo Nugroho, 24, First Adj. Brig. Langgeng Sugiarto, 24, and First. Adj. Brig. Santoso, 25.

Two others, First Adj. Brig. Idad Musadad, 26, and Second Brig. Dominggus Pinto, 26, failed to appear. Idad was killed in a traffic accident, while Dominggus deserted and returned to East Timor after the territory won its independence in 1999.

They are charged for violating Article 338 of the Criminal Code on premeditated murder, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

Four students were shot dead in the 1998 student protests at Trisakti University campus on Jl. Let. Gen. S. Parman, West Jakarta. They were Elang Mulya Lesmana, Hery Hartanto, Hendriawan Sie, and Hafidin Royan.

The shooting of the four students caused two days of widespread rioting in the capital that included the burning and looting of shops and businesses, which left hundreds of people dead. This incident was one of a series of events that forced former president Soeharto to step down in disgrace. (02)