Seven-month prison term sought for two activists

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Two university students are both facing a possible seven-month jail sentence for allegedly inciting chaos during a demonstration against the fuel price hike in June.

Prosecutor Lukimanto demanded the sentence on Monday during the trial of Mixilmina Munir, alias Mixil, 25, and Aris Wardoyo, 22 at the South Jakarta District Court.

The prosecutor said that the sentence should be reduced by the period the defendants had already spent in detention.

The defendants, both City Forum (Forkot) activists, have been in detention since June 17.

Mixil, a student of the State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN), and Aris, of the Computer and Information Technology Institute (STMIK) staged a protest against the fuel price hike on June 16 outside Lebak Bulus bus terminal in South Jakarta.

"Mixil stopped public minivan drivers who were passing his campus in Ciputat and asked them to join the protest in Lebak Bulus (bus terminal)," the prosecutor told the hearing, presided over by Judge Abdul Madjid.

Mixil and other protesters carried banners saying, "The fuel price is up, (other) prices are up, let's fight it", "The people are starving" and "What will people eat if all prices go up?".

The prosecutor said that Aris, meanwhile, led 100 drivers of bajaj (three-wheeled motorized vehicles) outside his campus in the Radio Dalam area, South Jakarta. Later they joined the protest in Lebak Bulus.

Several police officers arrived to disperse the demonstration, but Aris said to the protesters, "don't be afraid of police officers", the prosecutor said. Aris was then arrested by the police.

"At that time, Mixil threw a stone at the officers and he was followed by other protesters, which turned the demonstration into a riot," Lukimanto said.

The defendants were charged under Article 160 of the Criminal Code on inciting chaos and Article 214, Paragraph 1 on defying security officers.

A number of Forkot members who had repeatedly attended the trial sessions in support of the defendants protested noisily when the sentence demand was made.

The court will resume on Wednesday to hear the defense's statement.