Officer jailed, dismissed in Aceh battery case
Officer jailed, dismissed in Aceh battery case
BANDA ACEH (JP): Standing at attention, a tearful Maj. Bayu
Najib received a military court's verdict of a six-year prison
sentence and dismissal from the Armed Forces (ABRI) for battery
leading to the death of civilian detainees.
The prison term is two years more than the demand of
prosecutor Col. S. Elgin.
In reading the verdict, presiding judge Sri Umi Sularsih said
Bayu was guilty of using violence which inflicted injury.
Both Bayu's lawyer Capt. J. Silaban and Elgin said they were
considering whether to appeal.
After a tightly guarded session despite the presence of only a
few people in the public gallery, Bayu told a media conference he
was sorry and asked for forgiveness from the Acehnese.
"Especially the relatives of the victims," he said, fighting
to hold back tears.
"I was just looking for my men."
The former commander of North Aceh 113 Jaya Sakti battalion
said he did not intend to cause deaths when he confronted dozens
of alleged separatist rebels detained at the National Youth
Committee building in Lhokseumawe, North Aceh.
The 38 detainees were captured in a military raid after the
killing of seven off-duty soldiers and the abduction of two
marines in Lhoknibung, North Aceh, in December.
On the night of Jan. 9, Bayu and a group of soldiers from
various units took over the makeshift detention center from the
authorized guards. They kicked, beat and clubbed the detainees
with electric cables and M-16 rifles.
Five detainees (not four as previously reported) died on the
spot or later during hospitalization. Dozens of others suffered
various injuries.
"The defendant tarnished the Armed Forces image at a time when
the military is launching reform," the judge said, according to a
D&R newsweekly reporter at the session.
Bayu was tried separately from four other soldiers -- privates
Amsir, Manuhun Harahap, Efendi, and a private first class,
Manolam Situmorang -- also accused of battery leading to death.
The prosecution has demanded they be sentenced to seven years'
imprisonment and be discharged from the Armed Forces. Their trial
will resume on Wednesday.
Another 23 soldiers will soon be court-martialled for
involvement in the torture and murder.
"Dossiers of the 23 army officers were submitted to the Banda
Aceh military tribunal some time ago," Col. Suprapto, spokesman
for the Bukit Barisan Regional Military Command, said on
Saturday. (swe)