Lawyers request Bintang's release
Lawyers request Bintang's release
JAKARTA (JP): Lawyers representing rebel politician Sri
Bintang Pamungkas demanded their client's release yesterday,
citing insufficient legal grounds for the Attorney General's
Office to continue detaining him.
The lawyers said that when they accompanied Bintang during his
questioning last week, they thought the interrogating prosecutors
had failed to come up with "sufficient initial evidence" to
justify Bintang's arrest.
The lawyers stated their demand in a letter addressed to
Attorney General Singgih yesterday.
Bintang, the chairman of the unrecognized Indonesian
Democratic Union Party (PUDI), together with party deputy
chairman Julius Usman and secretary-general Saleh Abdullah were
arrested March 5 for subversion.
The authorities said the three were arrested because of the
party's activities, including its call for a boycott of the May
29 general election and the establishment of a new constitution.
The election boycott call was contained in Idul Fitri greetings
cards sent out to hundreds of people.
On March 17, the activists refused to answer any more
questions until their demands for clarification, including on who
reported them, had been met.
Singgih ignored Bintang's tight-lipped stance, saying it was
his right to maintain silence but that the office would continue
with the legal process.
The Attorney General's Office has also summoned several public
figures, including other PUDI activists, for questioning.
Yesterday the Attorney General's Office summoned Ridwan Saidi,
the secretary-general of the unrecognized Indonesian's People
Council (MARI), and Mulyana W. Kusumah, the secretary of the
national board of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights
Association.
Ridwan met the summons but Mulyana did not show up because he
was out of town.
Suhartoyo, the spokesman for the Attorney General's Office,
declined to specify on what capacity Ridwan and Mulyana were
summoned.
Ridwan also refused to reveal the content of the questioning,
saying to do so would be unethical. He only said that PUDI was
once a group within MARI. (05)