South Jakarta District Court starts trials of Unas students
South Jakarta District Court starts trials of Unas students
JAKARTA (JP): Judge Moegihardjo of the South Jakarta District
Court has opened two trials of 12 students of the National
University charged with assaulting members of the university's
Student Military Regiment (Menwa) last October.
The judge, who is presiding over two trials, each of six
students, began each session by letting the prosecutors read
their indictments yesterday.
The prosecutor for the first group is H.P. Silitonga while the
prosecutor for the second group is Hasan Madani.
They both charged the defendants with violating Article 170 of
the Criminal Code, which stipulates that anyone convicted of
intentionally assaulting another, or destroying property, faces a
maximum penalty of imprisonment for five-and-a-half years.
The first group, whose trial started at 10:50 a.m., consists
of Benedictus Satrio Widyanarto, Yudi Jamhur, Rakai Aryadipa
Erlangga, Dharmawan, Budi Murdiyanto and Reza Pahlevi.
The second group is made up of Syech Aljufri, Agus Heryana
Anirun, Mulyono Sugito, Kusnadi Darisan, Sudrajad Trisna and
Indra Mulia Ismed Kamal.
The 12 students were accused of burning down the regiment's
command post and attacking some of the regiment's members, who
had been guarding it.
Ten of the 12 students were represented by noted lawyers from
the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation, including Luhut Pangaribuan,
Rita Serena Kolibonso and Bambang Widjoyanto.
The other two students, Mulyono Sugito and Agus Heryana
Anirun, hired lawyer Thomas Tampublon, who heads the Indonesian
Advocates Association.
The courtroom was packed with students who had come to support
the 12 defendants.
As prosecutor Hasan Madani read his indictment dozens of the
supporters unfurled banners condemning the existence of the
Student Military Regiment.
Some of the banners read "Take Menwa to court", "Being in
Menwa is not the only way to serve the country" and "Free the
campus from terror".
The existence of divisions of the student regiment at various
universities has been questioned following reports of brawls
involving regiment members on several campuses.
Early this month the government agreed to restructure the
regiment and place it under the supervision of the ministries of
Defense and Security, Home affairs and Education and Culture.
Previously, the regiment had been supervised only by the
Ministry of Education and Culture.
The brawl which gave rise to the two trials occurred during a
celebration of the university's 45th anniversary. Five students
injured in the fighting.(mas)