Maj. Bayu faces four years imprisonment for Aceh killings

JAKARTA (JP): A military prosecutor demanded on Sunday that a court martial in the Aceh capital of Banda Aceh imprison a former battalion commander to four years prison and dismiss him from the Armed Forces.

The prosecutor said that Maj. Bayu Najib, of North Aceh Battalion 113 Jaya Sakti, was guilty of battery that led to the deaths of four Acehnese detainees on Jan. 9, Antara reported.

In the second day of a speedy military trial which began Saturday, prosecutor S. Elgin charged Bayu with Article 170 of the Criminal Code, which has a maximum penalty of 12 years.

The three-member panel of judges presided over by Col. Sri Umi Sularsih is scheduled to reach a verdict on Monday, apparently to meet the Armed Forces' (ABRI) promise to solve the case before Idul Fitri celebrations on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Bayu was accompanied on Sunday by his lawyer, J. Silaban.

In the 20-page dossier, Elgin argued that there was enough evidence to prove to the court that the Army officer was guilty of the crimes he was charged with.

The prosecutor quoted supporting testimonies from three of Bayu's alleged accomplices -- Capt. Junaedi, Capt. Muryanto and Sec. Cpl. Ryon Bejo -- who admitted to killing the four detainees with a piece of electrical cable.

On the night of Jan. 9, police locked 38 people in the KNPI building in the North Aceh capital of Lhokseumawe, and four of these detainees were killed. They were M. Daud (18), Hermansyah Husein (27), Saifuddin Ibrahim (20) and Hamzah Muhammad (33).

Several other detainees were injured.

The detainees were taken from a village that the military alleges to be the home of people involved in the killing of seven soldiers late last year in Lhok Nibong village, East Aceh. The whereabouts of one more soldier kidnapped is still unknown.

The news agency reported Bayu to have shown some remorse.

When questioned by Judge Sularsi, Bayu replied in a low voice that he understood the charges against him.

The court's viewing gallery was reportedly almost empty.

Lawyer Yacob Hamzah, of the Iskandar Muda Legal Aid Institute, was unimpressed by the proposed prison term.

"For these killings, the sentence is too light ... I am very disappointed. The sentence in this instance is two-thirds lighter than usual, which will mean only about two years," Yacob said.

On Saturday, the first trial saw four other soldiers accused of violence in the same incident: Privates Amsir, Ukim Harahap, Efendi and Marolaum Situmorang.

The brutality against the detainees occurred as the people of Aceh were recovering from the antiseparitist military operations begun in 1989 and officially lifted last August.

The defendants are among 27 the military plans to court- martial for the four deaths in the industrial town of Lhokseumawe.

Trials of the 22 others are scheduled to start after the Idul Fitri holiday. (aan)