More Megawati supporters jailed for staging rally

JAKARTA (JP): Another 35 supporters of Megawati Soekarnoputri were sentenced yesterday to between two months and 18 days or two months and 20 days in jail for holding a street rally.

Ten of the 35 defendants will be released from jail today and the remaining 25 will be freed Saturday as they have been incarcerated since they were arrested on Feb. 11. Yesterday's prison terms took into account the time served.

All the defendants, who were tried in two separate courtrooms at South Jakarta District Court, accepted the judges' ruling.

The 35 defendants were among 122 Megawati supporters who were tried for ignoring a police order to disperse during a street demonstration on price hikes.

Last week the court sentenced 76 people to between two months and 10 days or two months and 12 days for the same charges, and they were released within days. The remaining 11 demonstrators are scheduled to be tried by the same court Monday.

As in the earlier ruling, the judges said the defendants had ignored the police order, even though the defendants denied that they heard the order.

"Since two police officers, who have been sworn in as witnesses, said that they ordered the defendants to disperse, we believe them," Marcel Buchori, one of the judges, said.

The two officers, however, could not identify whether the defendants had actually joined the demonstration.

"I forget, Your Honor," Nana Sujana, one of the officers, said.

Judge Hasan Mahyudin said: "How can you prove that they joined the demonstration, if you cannot identify the defendants?"

Those in the court's public gallery clapped their hands and the officer looked pale and could not reply.

The courtrooms yesterday were packed with dozens of the defendants' relatives and demonstrators who have been released from jail after being tried in the same court.

The 122 defendants were among 157 members of Barisan Merah Putih (The Red-and-White Front), who were arrested after marching from the Attorney General's Office in Blok M to the Ministry of Manpower on Jl. Gatot Subroto. The remaining 35 were released without being tried.

The group was charged under Article 5 of Law No. 5/1963 on political activities and Article 218 of the Criminal Code on rallying and ignoring a police order.

The judges dismissed the first charge and decided that the defendants were guilty of the second charge.

"Were you just protesting against the price hike? Yes? So it was not related to political activities?" Judge Hasan said.

"I also agree with your protest."

Those in the public gallery once again clapped their hands.

The defendants' lawyers from the Defense Team for Indonesian Democracy (TPDI) said the police gave their order improperly, so that the people who joined the demonstration could not possibly hear it.

"The police officers said that they just stood in front of the front row of protesters. How could it be heard by people at the rear?" Aidi Johan, one of the lawyers, said.

Aidi said the officers also admitted that they were assigned to disperse an unlicensed street rally, meaning that the protesters could not be detained as stated under Article 510 of the Criminal Code.

And charging the protesters under Article 218 was incorrect because people could only be charged under the article if they caused damage, he said.

"But it was all apparently set up. We agreed to accept the sentence because the defendants have been detained for quite a long time." (jun)