Soldiers acquitted in 1996 PDI headquarters attack

Soldiers acquitted in 1996 PDI headquarters attack

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Central Jakarta district court acquitted two soldiers and two
civilians of all charges in the July 27, 1996 Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) killings, but sentenced another civilian
defendant to two months and 10 days.

They were the first verdicts handed down in the seven-year-old
case, in which official government figures put the death toll at
five, with 23 people still listed as "missing" when the Jakarta
party headquarters of Megawati Soekarnoputri, the then populist
opposition leader, was attacked by a mob, allegedly recruited by
and taking orders from the military and/or the central
government.

The attack followed the dismissal announcement of Megawati as
the PDI chairperson by supporters of the party's splinter faction
led by veteran politician Soerjadi.

Presiding judge Rukmini said that there was not enough
evidence to convict the defendants -- Capt. Budi Purnama, First
Lt. Suharto, Mohammad Tanjung and Rahimi Ilyas -- for their roles
in the attack.

"The four defendants were not involved in the rampage at the
PDI headquarters, nor in recruiting the people for that purpose,"
she proclaimed.

However, the court sentenced another defendant, Jonathan
Marpaung to two months and 10 days for his role in the incident.

He was found guilty of inciting the crowd to attack, Rukmini
said.

The prosecution was seeking six months imprisonment for each
of the five defendants, and might appeal the verdicts.

The five were among the 11 suspects charged in the attack that
sparked dozens of riots across Jakarta, in which dozens of
buildings were vandalized or set on fire.

Other suspects include Soerjadi and his fellow leaders of the
splinter faction, such as the late Budi Hardjono and Buttu
Hutapea.

Several other high-profile figures such as current Jakarta
Governor Lt. Gen. (ret) Sutiyoso, former Indonesian Armed Forces
(ABRI) chief Gen. (ret) Feisal Tanjung and former ABRI chief of
socio-political affairs Lt. Gen. (ret.) Syarwan Hamid were
allegedly involved in the tragedy as well.

They have been questioned in connection with the case but none
were charged for any violation.

Victims, students and human rights activists as well as
Megawati's party members have held several protests over the
years to demand that the leaders behind the siege be brought to
justice.

However, Megawati, who has since become president and head of
the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), seems to
lack interest in the case and has shown less than meager support
for a more thorough investigation.

Those urging her to push for justice were particularly irked
by her endorsement of the reelection of Sutiyoso as the Jakarta
governor last year for a second five-year term. In addition, she
has been notably absent from the annual commemoration of the
tragedy since she became vice president in 1999.