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)