Prosecutors ask for five-year jail term for Pranowo

Sari P. Setiogi, Jakarta

Prosecutors demanded on Friday a five-year prison term for former Jakarta Military Police chief Maj. Gen. (ret) Pranowo for allegedly failing to stop his men from torturing prisoners captured following the Tanjung Priok incident in 1984.

Prosecutor Roesmanadi said Pranowo let his subordinates torture about 169 suspects detained at two military police stations in Cimanggis and Guntur.

However, the prosecutors dropped their primary charges as they said they found no evidence Pranowo had perpetrated gross human rights violations against the civilians.

"Many of the witnesses withdrew their testimonies," Roesmanadi told the ad hoc human rights tribunal.

Other witnesses had told the court they were kicked until they fell on the floor and forced to do push-ups during their detention.

In her testimony, a woman said she heard her brother's cries of pain but she did not know what had happened to him.

"I saw my brother's face was full of bruises but there was no medical report about it," Roesmanadi quoted the woman as saying.

The hearing was originally scheduled for June 30. However, the trial was adjourned as the prosecution was not ready.

Pranowo is one of 13 serving or retired military officers standing trial for the shooting incident 20 years ago. The incident took place when soldiers dispersed thousands of protesters in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta. The protesters were demanding the release of four people who were being detained by the military after an earlier demonstration.

An investigation by the National Commission on Human Rights later found at least 24 people were killed and 54 injured in the incident.

Other defendants include Maj. Gen. Sriyanto Muntrasan, now commander of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) and former North Jakarta military commander Maj. Gen. (ret) Rudolf Butar- butar, who was earlier convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for letting his soldiers commit the massacre. Rudolf successfully appealed the verdict and remains free.

The court has twice canceled a session to hear the prosecutors' sentence demands for Sriyanto. The next hearing is scheduled for July 8.

Pranowo's trial was adjourned until July 13, when he will be given a chance to read his defense plea.

Asked to comment about the case, Pranowo said he was optimistic he would be acquitted.

The trials are Indonesia's second attempt to bring soldiers to court for rights abuses after the East Timor case. In the Timor case, a civilian militia leader received a 10-year prison term but military officers received lesser terms. Many of the military officers were later exonerated by a higher court.