PRD activists walk out of district court

JAKARTA (JP): The trial of three Democratic People's Party (PRD) activists continued in the Central Jakarta District Court yesterday without them or their lawyers, who had left because the judges turned up 90 minutes late.

Yakobus Eko Kurniawan and Suroso, two of the activists, walked out of the court room and back to their cells defying the judges' insistence that the hearing continue without their lawyers.

The third defendant, Ignatius Pranowo, refused to appear in court in protest over irregularities in his detention warrant.

Their lawyers, Denny Kailimang and Suhana Natawilwana, had waited for an hour before deciding to leave the courtroom.

The trial, scheduled for 10:00 a.m., did not begin until 11:30. There was no explanation why the three judges had come late.

Yakobus, Suroso and Pranowo are being tried on charges of subversion for allegedly undermining the state and insulting government officials through their activities in the PRD.

Seven other PRD leaders, including chairman Budiman Sujatmiko, are being tried separately on similar charges. If found guilty of subversion, they may face the death penalty.

Judge Asmar Ismail, leading the trial against the three defendants, decided that the hearing continue regardless.

Prosecutor Abdul Hamid Thahir read in court the written testimonies of Dita Indah Sari and Coen Husen Pontoh, both PRD activists who are being tried on separate charges in Surabaya. The prosecutor said he could not bring the two witnesses to Jakarta.

On Pranowo's absence, judge Asmar said he would order that the defendant appear in court at the next hearing "by force if necessary".

The hearing was adjourned until Wednesday.

Another walkout occurred in a different courtroom in the courthouse yesterday.

Garda Sembiring of the Indonesian Student Solidarity for Democracy organization, an affiliate of the PRD, left the courtroom protesting the judge's decision to allow the prosecutor to read a written statement by Dita.

The activists were arrested following the July 27 riots in Central Jakarta which left at least five people dead.

The military has tried to pin the blame for the riots on the activists but their indictments have contained no such accusation. The indictments only say that the PRD suspects "were among the crowd on July 27". (05)