Light sentence proposed for defendants in Suai massacre

Light sentence proposed for defendants in Suai massacre

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Unable to secure all indictments against four military officers
and one police officer held responsible for the massacre in the
East Timor town of Suai in 1999, ad hoc prosecutors demanded on
Tuesday the court hand down the minimum sentence of ten years
imprisonment.

The defendants are the next to face their fate after
prosecutors requested a 10-and-a-half-year prison term for former
East Timor governor Abilio Soares, for his failure to prevent the
mass killing.

During the hearing presided by Judge Cicut Sutiarso, the ad
hoc prosecutors proposed 10 years imprisonment each for former
Covalima regent Col. Herman Sedyono, former Suai military command
chief Col. Sugito, and the military command's chief of staff
Capt. Achmad Syamsudin.

A 10-year-and-three-month prison sentence was requested for
former Suai Police precinct chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Gatot
Subiaktoro, while Sugito's predecessor Col. Liliek Koeshadianto
is facing a sentence demand of 10-and-a-half years imprisonment.

Reading the 167-page indictment, prosecutors told the court
that the trial, which has been going on for four months, failed
to prove the prime charge that the five jointly initiated the
attack on East Timor's pro-independence civilians who took
refuges in a church, in which at least 26 were killed.

"(However) The secondary charge against the defendants for
allowing crimes against humanity by neglecting their authority to
avoid the attack are convincingly proven during the trial,"
prosecutor Darmono said.

Defendants Liliek and Gatot received higher sentence demands
in comparison with other codefendants because, according to the
prosecutors, they were entrusted with direct responsibility for
security affairs in Suai, especially after the Aug. 30, 1999,
independence ballot.

Initially, the prosecutors revealed that 27 people were
killed, including three Roman Catholic priests. But after the
three mass graves were excavated in West Timor only 26 corpses
were exhumed.

The prosecutors considered mitigating factors that lightened
the sentences -- which could lead to the death penalty, such as
the defendants' dedication to the state for which they have
received medals, their responsibility to their family, their
politeness, and the fact that they have never been sentenced for
any crimes.

Defense lawyer Erman Umar said that the demands for light
sentences merely showed that the prosecutors were not convinced
about their charges.

The defendants were given until July 23 to prepare their plea.

In separate courtrooms, former East Timor military command
chief Brig. Gen. Tono Suratman, now deputy spokesman for the
Indonesian Military (TNI), and former chief of Tribuana military
intelligence unit Col. Yayat Sudradjat stood trial.

The two were charged with failing to use their authority to
prevent pro-Jakarta militiamen from attacking pro-independence
rivals and their houses.