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)