Nessen to stand trial next week
Nessen to stand trial next week
Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Aceh
An American reporter arrested after hiding out with GAM rebels in
war-torn Aceh, has been charged with violating immigration
regulations and is scheduled to stand trial next week.
Forty-six-year-old William Nessen who was working as a
freelance reporter for several print media, was arrested soon
after he turned himself in to the military in North Aceh regency
on June 24.
The Banda Aceh District Court said on Friday that it received
Nessen's dossier from the government prosecutor's office two days
ago and would start trying the case on Wednesday.
"A judge has been appointed to try the case and he is still
studying the case and checking on whether the case has met
administrative requirements," a clerk of the district court M.
Yusuf Hasan told The Jakarta Post.
Yusuf declined to identify the judge but said attorney Efdal
Efendy will be prosecuting Nessen and noted lawyer Amir
Syamsuddin will represent the suspect in the trial.
According to the case file, Nessen is charged with violating
Articles 50 and 51 of Law No. 9/1992 on immigration carrying a
maximum five-year prison sentence and a Rp 5 million (US$609)
fine.
Nessen spent weeks in jungles with rebels in North Aceh before
he turned himself in to security authorities on June 24. He has
been in police custody since then. Nessen was writing for foreign
media on the Aceh war from the perspective of the rebels.
He entered Aceh before the government launched the military
offensive on May 19 to crush the armed rebellion in the province.
Police said that Nessen, who is married to an Acehnese woman,
had been unable to produce a passport, visa or a press card from
the foreign ministry.
He has reportedly visited Aceh several times.
The military had earlier suspected Nessen of spying for the
Free Aceh Movement (GAM), which has been fighting since 1976 for
independence for the resource-rich territory.
Following Nessen's arrest, the martial law administration
announced tough restrictions on foreigners in Aceh, requiring
both aid workers and reporters to apply for permission before
entering the province. His mother was not allowed by
the immigration office in Medan, North Sumatra, to enter Aceh two
weeks ago to visit the suspect.
Yusuf also said the district court had received nine judges
from North Sumatra to try hundreds of suspected rebels who are
facing subversion charges.
"The judges are stationed at the court for only three months
and their main mission is to try suspected members of the Free
Aceh Movement," he said.