Prosecutors demand 10 years for 11 Priok suspects
Prosecutors demand 10 years for 11 Priok suspects
Sari P. Setiogi, Jakarta
Prosecutors before the Tandjung Priok human rights trials
demanded 10-year prison terms for Capt. Sutrisno Mascung and his
10 former subordinates on Friday, for their involvement in the
deaths of some 32 civilians during the 1984 incident.
Ten years is the minimum prison sentence for defendants that
are proven guilty of gross human rights violations.
Sutrisno was commander of Platoon III of the Air Defense
Artillery Battalion under the North Jakarta Military Command when
the bloody incident took place on Sept. 12, 1984.
Prosecutor Darmono said the 11 troopers had options other than
opening fire on the protesters.
"They could have beaten them instead of opening fire on
civilians," he said.
While Darmono was reading out the sentence demand, presiding
judge Andi Samsan Ngaro suddenly interrupted the session to ask
visitors carrying guns and knives to leave the court room.
Soon after Andi made the appeal, some 30 armed soldiers left
the room, frowning all the while.
The Tanjung Priok shooting was triggered by a demonstration
involving dozens of people in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta,
against the Pancasila ideology and the government's family
planning program.
On Sept. 7, 1984, a military soldier entered a musholla
(prayer room) near the Tanjung Priok port without taking off
his shoes, which the people deemed as tantamount to desecrating
the holy place.
Witnesses said the soldier smeared gutter water on the walls
as well, prompting local people to burn the soldier's motorcycle.
Soldiers retaliated by arresting four people.
Five days later, at around midnight, Amir Biki, a local Muslim
activist, led some 1,500 fellow civilians on a march to the North
Jakarta Military Command to pressure the authorities to free the
four detainees.
Prior to that, Biki had telephoned the North Jakarta Military
Command (the call was received by Sriyanto), saying that he would
attack the compound if his four friends were not released by 11
p.m.
Sriyanto decided to deploy troops to face the protesters.
Eyewitnesses said that soldiers opened fire, killing at least 32
protesters, including Biki. Many other demonstrators were
detained and allegedly tortured in connection with the
demonstration.
Prosecutors earlier demanded five-year prison terms for Maj.
Gen. (ret.) Pranowo and 10 years for Maj. Gen. Sriyanto
Muntrasan. Both were Sutrisno's superiors.
Defendants in the Tanjung Priok case
1. Maj. Gen. Sriyanto former commander of the North Jakarta
Military Command, now the commander of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus)
2. Maj. Gen. (ret) Pranowo former Jakarta Military commander
3. Maj. Gen. (ret) Rudolf Butar Butar former North Jakarta Military commander
4. Capt. Sutrisno Mascung former commander of the Air Defense Artillery Battalion
5. Chief Corp. Asrori former member of the Jakarta Military Command
6. Chief Corp. Siswoyo idem
7. Sgt. Maj. Abdul Halim idem
8. Second Lt. Zulfata idem
9. Chief Sgt. Sumitro idem
10. Chief Sgt. Sofyan Hadi idem
11. Chief Corp. Prayogi idem
12. Chief Corp. Winarko idem
13. Chief Corp. Idrus idem
14. Second Sgt. Muhson idem