Political detainees' rights abused: Lawyers

JAKARTA (JP): A team of lawyers told the National Commission on Human Rights yesterday that the Attorney General's Office had violated the rights of suspects who were currently being detained in relation to the July 27 riots in the capital.

Calling themselves the Team of Lawyers to Defend Indonesia's Justice, they are representing 11 suspects who have been detained for their alleged involvement in the incident.

"We have noted rampant violations since the beginning of the whole process. For example, some suspects were arrested without warrants. This sort of action is in violation of the criminal code," Dwiyanto Prihartono of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute said.

The 11 political suspects were arrested for their alleged link to the small, leftist little-known student organization, the Democratic People's Party (PRD), which the government has accused of inciting the riots.

The riot ensued after supporters of a government-backed faction of the Indonesian Democratic Party forcibly took over the party's headquarters, which were controlled by supporters of deposed chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Five people were reported dead and over 100 people detained in the riot's aftermath.

According to Dwiyanto, the team's executive secretary, there were at least eight points where suspects' rights had been violated. The Attorney General's Office, however, had corrected six of the eight violations, he said.

Warrants

Warrants for their arrest were not issued until the day after they were detained, Dwiyanto told reporters after a closed meeting with commission members, which lasted about 90 minutes. Their families did not receive the warrants until a week afterward, he said.

Six suspects were caught on Aug. 11, while four others were arrested the next day.

"Until Aug. 18, no one knew where the suspects were detained," Dwiyanto added.

After Aug. 18, the suspects were held at the Attorney General's Office and the South Jakarta Prosecutor's Provincial Office.

"The warrant said that suspects were being detained at the state's penitentiary when in fact they were being held at the Armed Forces Intelligence Agency," Dwiyanto said.

At least four PRD leaders, including Budiman Sujatmiko, are facing charges of subversion, which carries a maximum penalty of death. Under this charge, suspects can be held in detention for up to a year.

The lawyers noted the prolonged period during which suspects were detained before any investigation was conducted.

"Garda Sembiring, for example, was not even questioned once until Sept. 13," Dwiyanto said.

Prominent human rights advocate Abdul Garuda Hakim Nusantara, who is also a member of the lawyers' team, said that the report to the commission was not meant to corner any particular institution.

"We intend only to uphold the law and the legal rights of our clients," he said.

To this, Dwiyanto added that if their clients opted for a pre- trial session, the objections to these violations could be raised in court.

Commission member Clementino Dos Reis Amaral assured the lawyers that inputs gathered would be reported to Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman, with whom the commission holds monthly meetings. (14)