Rights court acquit former East Timor military commander
Rights court acquit former East Timor military commander
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The ad hoc human rights tribunal acquitted on Thursday former
East Timor Military commander Brig. Gen. Tono Suratman from
charges of failing to prevent a spate of human rights abuses
before and after the 1999 self-determination ballot in East
Timor.
"The defendant, Tono Suratman, is not proven guilty of crimes
against humanity as charged by the prosecutors," judge Andi
Samsan Nganro said. The verdict was greeted by a thunderous round
of applause by dozens of Army's Special Forces Kopassus members
attending the trial.
The panel of five judges also ordered "the dignity and
reputation of the defendant be restored to him" as he had been
acquitted from all charges.
Tono, who had been promoted to the post of deputy Indonesian
Military (TNI) spokesman, had been charged with crimes against
humanity for failing to prevent bloodshed in the run-up, during,
and after the East Timorese voted to break away from Indonesia on
Aug. 30, 1999.
Thousands of military-backed militia members went on bloody
rampages before and after the referendum, killing hundreds of
civilians and laying waste to almost 80 percent of the
infrastructure in the former 27th province of Indonesia.
The judges said Tono was not responsible for the violence at a
church in Liquica on April 6, 1999, or at a residence in Dili on
April 17, 1999.
"Before the election, the security order was the
responsibility of the police," the verdict said.
A total of 20 people were killed at Liquica while 12 died in
the attack on the residence of pro-independence leader Manuel
Carrascalao in Dili.
The verdict, quoting testimonies from the former military
chief, Gen. (ret) Wiranto, and former foreign affairs minister
Ali Alatas, blamed former president B.J. Habibie for giving the
Timorese the option of independence when the government was not
ready to conduct the referendum.
Chief prosecutor Gabriel Simangungsong, who earlier sought a
ten-year prison term for Tono, said on Thursday that he had not
yet decided whether he would appeal the verdict. However, he said
that the judges had failed to take the witnesses' testimonies
into account.
Meanwhile, Tono thanked the judges for "a fair trial" and
encouraged soldiers not to hesitate in performing their duties.
Tono's subordinates distributed press releases to journalists
about Tono's opinion on the verdict. Tono had also prepared
another press release, just in case the judges convicted him.
Tono was the 11th member of the police or military to be
acquitted over the bloodshed in East Timor. Five people --
two army officers, a former Dili police chief, the former
civilian governor and an ex-militia chief -- have been sentenced
to jail. All are free pending appeals.
One general is still awaiting a verdict.
Human rights groups have labeled the court, which was set up
amid international pressure, a sham.
Hendardi, the head of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human
Rights Association, said that the verdict would make "the
military become more powerful and arrogant".
"The trial was just for show, it is meant to preserve impunity
and to protect the generals," he added.