Lawyers demand Udin's blood

Lawyers demand Udin's blood

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Lawyers at the local office of the Indonesian
Legal Aid Institute demanded yesterday that police return the
blood sample taken from the slain journalist Fuad Muhammad
Syafruddin.

"We are demanding that the blood sample be returned. We're
worried that it could be used to stain the shirt and iron bar
taken as evidence from the home of the suspect Dwi Sumaji," said
spokesman A. Budi Hartono.

The journalist died on Aug. 16 after he was assaulted by
unidentified thugs at his house on Aug. 13. When he was in
hospital, police requested that his family lend them a sample of
blood in order to expedite their investigation. The blood was
given but the police did not issue a receipt.

Following weeks of criticism for their slow progress in
investigating the case, police announced last week they had
arrested a suspect. They also claimed to have seized a blood-
stained shirt and an iron bar, allegedly used to beat the
journalist to death, as evidence from Dwi's house.

However, Fuad's wife, Marsiyem, who is the main witness, said
Dwi did not match her recollection of the killer.

Dwi denies killing Fuad. His wife, Sunarti, charges that
police violated procedures because they arrested Dwi without a
warrant. She and two other people testified that Dwi was at home
on the night of the murder. (30/swe)