Prosecutors demand 10 and 7 months for Trisakti defendants
Prosecutors demand 10 and 7 months for Trisakti defendants
JAKARTA (JP): Prosecutors at the military tribunal
investigating the Trisakti shooting incident demanded prison
sentences for two police officers who ordered their men to shoot
into the crowd of demonstrators.
They requested a 10 month jail term for First Lt. Agus Tri
Heryanto and a seven month sentence for Second Lt. Pariyo.
Col. Sadji Purnomo and Capt. Bambang Ari Wibowo, who read the
indictments in turn, said the defendants had ordered their
subordinates to open fire without the authorization of their
superior officer, Lt. Col. Timur Pradopo, the West Jakarta Police
chief.
The defendants, both of whom belong to the police Mobile
Brigade, were charged under Article 103 of the Military Penal
Code, which carries a maximum sentence of two years and four
months in prison.
The defendants are among 18 people implicated in the May 12
incident in which the security forces opened fire on
demonstrators at Trisakti University, killing four students.
The incident sparked off three days of riots in major cities
across the country.
The other 16 suspects are still under police investigation and
may yet face prosecution.
The prosecutors insisted the defendants be jailed and ordered
to pay the court administration fee of Rp 5,000.
Defense lawyers have argued that the officers should have not
have been brought before the tribunal court. They believe that
the case should have been handled by their superior officers.
However, the prosecution challenged this argument yesterday.
"The defendants' superior officers submitted the dossiers on
this case to the military tribunal. This step was in line with
the principle of 'unity of command' within the Armed Forces,"
Sadji said.
Sadji also said that both police officers had admitted during
interrogation that they had ordered the shooting without their
superior's consent.
"Agus gave the order to open fire during the May 12 incident
without authorization from his field commander, the West Jakarta
Police chief Lt. Col. Timur Pradopo," he said.
The order triggered panic among the demonstrators, he added.
Agus was the company commander and Pariyo was the action
platoon commander when the incident took place.
Based on the testimony of witnesses and infantry Capt. Arman
Dahlan, the situation was calm before Agus ordered his men to
open fire, Sadji explained.
"It is therefore obvious that Agus and Pariyo disobeyed the
rules stated in the 1997 guidelines on handling riots," he added.
Both officers were on duty from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the day of
the shooting incident, he said, adding that it was possible the
officers had been tired and lost their temper.
Both defendants remained standing throughout the 3.5 hour
hearing. Presiding Judge Sudji Suradi ordered them to straighten
up every time they relaxed their posture.
The trial was adjourned until next Tuesday, when the defense
lawyers will present their statement.
"We will give the defense team time before Agus and Pariyo
present their personal statements. They have their own version of
events and that too must be heard," Buyung, a defense lawyer,
said.
He said the defense lawyers would raise what he called "false
accusations" that the prosecutors had leveled at the defendants
at the start of the tribunal. (edt)