Lawyers look to rights body over arrest of activists

Lawyers look to rights body over arrest of activists

JAKARTA (JP): A group of junior lawyers has registered a
complaint with the National Commission on Human Rights about the
arrest of colleague Alexius Surya Tjahaja Tomu and eight
government critics, including playwright-actor Ratna Sarumpaet.

Group member Paskalis Pieter told commission members
Clementino Dos Reis Amaral and B.N. Marbun that Alexius was
invited to an activists' meeting in a seaside bungalow in Ancol
recreational park, North Jakarta, last Tuesday.

Police forcefully dispersed the meeting -- which was held to
discuss a plan for a People's Summit involving activists and
government critics -- and, in the ensuing melee, arrested the
nine.

"Alexius' arrest was a repressive act and intimidation of the
human rights activists," Paskalis said in a four-page statement
which was read before commission members.

"The arrest was disrespectful of human rights and Alexius'
profession as a lawyer." said Paskalis.

Clementino criticized the police yesterday, concurring with
the lawyers that the arrest tarnished the country's image.

"The eyes of the international world are trained on us right
now, and we could be widely criticized for this," Clementino
said. "It is exactly in a (monetary) crisis like this that people
should be given the right to voice their opinions."

Ratna filed suit against the police over her arrest with the
North Jakarta District Court last Friday.

Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association's executive
director Hendardi told a media conference last week that Ratna
was taking the North Jakarta Police chief and the city police
chief to court for detaining the nine for more than 24 hours
without an arrest warrant.

Hendardi said the necessary arrest warrant was issued more
than eight hours after the 24-hour legal deadline had passed.

A pretrial hearing will take place next Monday.

The government prohibited all mass gatherings and street
rallies one week before and after the 11-day General Session of
the People's Consultative Assembly, which started March 1. The
session returned President Soeharto to his seventh consecutive
term in office.

Ratna is an activist of a SIAGA, a group which supported the
candidacy of government critics Amien Rais and Megawati
Soekarnoputri for the presidency and vice presidency.

The campaign fizzled out because neither candidate had the
necessary backing of the Assembly. (byg)