Ratna charged with staging illegal meeting
JAKARTA (JP): Stage actress Ratna Sarumpaet and eight other activists were formally charged yesterday with organizing a political meeting in a North Jakarta hotel without a police permit Tuesday.
Jakarta Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said the group had been charged under a 1969 law restricting political activities. If found guilty they face a maximum sentence of one year in jail.
"Our investigation found that they were responsible for organizing the illegal congress," he said.
Ratna has also been charged with defaming the government, a punishable offense under the Criminal Code, he said. The offense carries a maximum sentence of seven years.
The other eight activists are Fathom Saulina (Ratna's daughter), Alexius S. (a lawyer from the Association of Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights or PBHI), Ging Ginanjar (a freelance journalist), Adi Hermawan (a participant from Lampung), Bonar Tigor Naipospos (of the Indonesian Society for Humanity), Aspar Paturisi (an artist), Nandang Wirakusuma and Joel Thaher.
They remained in custody yesterday at Jakarta Police Headquarters.
They were arrested Tuesday after police broke up a meeting, billed as Kongres Indonesia (Indonesian Congress) at Pondok Putri Duyung Cottage in the Ancol Dreamland complex.
The meeting, which intended to discuss the current economic crisis, had listed prominent government critics Amien Rais and Megawati Soekarnoputri among its speakers.
Police had originally planned to arrest Ratna who had coordinated the gathering. But she resisted arrest, demanding to see a warrant, and eight colleagues who tried to stop the officers were picked up too.
Aritonang defended the arrests, saying they were in compliance with the law.
Police did not need to have warrants because they were caught red-handed committing the offense, he said.
"They were staging a congress without a permit from the police."
He criticized some local newspapers for suggesting that police had used force to break up the meeting as participants were saying prayers.
"That's not true. When the police officers arrived, they ordered the organizers to end the meeting.
"We have the video recording as proof that the congress was stopped after the participants said prayers."
Executive director of PBHI, Hendardi, which is representing the activists, protested against the arrests and questioned the use of the 1969 law.
"They are citizens who wanted to hold a meeting because they care about the problems facing the country. They do not have to have a police permit for that," Hendardi said.
The 1969 law has been used by the government to prevent people from expressing views different from its own, he said.
"It should no longer be used."
Hendardi demanded the police immediately release Alexius, a PBHI lawyer who had gone to the meeting to advise participants of their legal rights.
His arrest is an affront to the legal profession, he said.
Police also announced yesterday that four labor activists have been charged with staging a protest on Jl. Thamrin Monday.
Aritonang identified the four as Farahdiba Agust, Wendi Nikodemus, Widi, and Kuldiv Singh.
Two other activists, identified as Hermanto and Yudi Rahmat had also been charged for their participation in another street protest in Tanjung Priok on the same day.
Both protests were demanding the release of labor leader Muchtar Pakpahan. (byg/cst)