Soldier faces six years over Liquisa killing

Soldier faces six years over Liquisa killing

JAKARTA (JP): Army prosecutors have urged a military tribunal
in Denpasar, Bali, to sentence a soldier to six years and nine
months imprisonment for ordering the killing of six unarmed
civilians in the Liquisa regency of East Timor in January.

The prosecutors said yesterday that the action of First
Lieutenant Jeremias Kasse, in ordering the execution, went
against the military oath and tarnished the image of the
Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) in East Timor, Antara reported.

"It even harmed the image of Indonesia internationally,
especially concerning human rights," said Lt. Col. Asmar Gutji,
the chief military prosecutor.

He urged the court to have the defendant expelled from the
military. "His presence in the service cannot be defended."

The trial was adjourned until Thursday to allow Jeremias'
lawyers, Lt. Col. Heru Cahyono and Second Lt. E. Susanto, time to
prepare their final submissions.

Trying Jeremias's case in the military tribunal is a panel of
three judges, led by Col. M. Panjaitan and including Lt. Co. Tjok
Raka and Lt. Col. Wita.

An intelligence officer with the Liquisa district military
command, Jeremias is one of two soldiers being tried in
connection with the killing in the remote Fabo village in
Liquisa.

Jeremias headed the 30-strong unit which is said to have been
on the trail of rebels of the East Timor armed separatist group,
Fretilin, when the six civilians were killed. Reports of the
incident sparked both domestic and international outrage.

The prosecutors said Jeremias ordered First Private Rusdin
Maumere to "eliminate" the six villagers, in the belief that they
were all linked to the clandestine Fretilin movement.

Col. Asmar said Jeremias had violated the Military Criminal
Code's chapter 103 (disobeying the orders of a superior) and 121
(making a false report to a superior). He also violated chapter
55 of the (civilian) Criminal Code, the prosecutor said, by
ordering someone to commit murder.

Eleven witnesses testified in the trial: five soldiers,
including the accused's immediate superior, Lt. Col. Tris
Suryawan; five civilians; and one expert witness.

The prosecutors said the accused had disobeyed an order that
unarmed guerrillas be taken alive and that they be fired upon
only if they resisted or opened fire first.

The tribunal heard that the six victims had been unarmed and
had had their hands tied when they were killed.

Emotions

Jeremias did not deny these claims, merely insisting that the
six had been connected with guerrilla activities. He said that he
gave the order that they be killed shortly after one of his men
had been stabbed during a raid on a house in Fabo village.

The defense called a military psychologist to testify that
Jeremias had been tired and had lost control of his emotions
after days of following the trail of guerrillas and after seeing
one of his men incur injuries.

Separately, in the trial of the other accused, Rusdin, the
court heard yesterday that the six people murdered had all been
members of the Fretilin separatist group.

Rusdin, who is himself an East Timorese, said that conclusion
had been drawn by the soldiers after interrogating the six
detainees before putting them to death.

Rusdin has confessed to single-handedly slaying the six
villagers, stressing that he was acting on an order from
Jeremias.

His trial was adjourned until today when Prosecutor Lt. Col.
Firman Coto is to make submissions on sentencing. (emb)