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)