Prosecutors mull espionage charges against foreigners
Prosecutors mull espionage charges against foreigners
Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh
State prosecutors have asked the Banda Aceh Police to provide
more evidence that will allow them to charge two foreign women
with espionage.
In consequence of the revision to the dossiers of Lesley
McCulloch, 42, and Joy Lee Sadler, 57, the detention of the
Briton and American women has been extended for 40 days,
effective Wednesday.
Chief of the provincial prosecutors' office Teuku N. Lufti
said on Wednesday the police would need to question the two
foreigners again in order to complete their dossiers.
"We found in the dossiers ample evidence that has led us to
charge the two women with espionage. They did not just violate
visa regulations," Lufti told The Jakarta Post.
Lufti was referring to photographs depicting Lesley and Free
Aceh Movement (GAM) separatist rebel leader-in-exile Hassan Tiro,
GAM activities and a torture room as well as maps locating
Indonesian Military and National Police posts across the restive
province.
"They claimed to be tourists, but how could they be so well
informed about the number and location of military posts
throughout Aceh?" Lufti said.
"Using common sense, they must be concealing malicious intent
toward Indonesia."
The pictures, maps and other evidence were seized when
McCulloch and Sadler were arrested by security troops during a
sweeping operation on Sept. 11 in Keude Rundeng Kluet in South
Aceh.
"Based on such evidence, they could be charged with
espionage," Lufti said.
Both women have denied links with the rebels as well as having
separatist documents in their possession. They have complained of
mistreatment early on in their captivity, including sexual
harassment.
Visa violations carry a maximum prison sentence of five years
or a fine of Rp 25 million (US$2,778). There is no law that
specifically deals with espionage after the 1963 subversion law
was revoked in 1999.
Although military officers have claimed that espionage
activities are rampant in Indonesia, only one case involving a
navy officer who stood trial in 1982 has ever been made public.
Lt. Col. Johanes Soesdarjanto, an officer at the Navy's
mapping division at the time, was caught red-handed by the armed
forces exchanging information with KGB agent Sergei Egorov in a
restaurant in Jakarta.
Soesdarjanto was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, while
Egorov was declared persona non grata.
One of the women's lawyers, Rufriadi, said the police could
not just change the charges that easily, saying there has been no
solid evidence of his clients committing espionage.
"It's illegal to charge my clients with espionage activities,
because during the questioning by the police there was no
indication of a crime other than a visa violation," Rufriadi, who
heads the Banda Aceh Legal Aid Institute, said.
He refused to comment on why McCulloch and Sadler kept maps of
military and police posts in Aceh.
Another lawyer of the detainees, Afrida Darmi, has said both
the foreign women brought with them pictures of GAM activities
which they downloaded from the Internet.
Lufti said McCulloch and Sadler would be tried in Meulaboh,
West Aceh because the South Aceh regency did not have a district
court.