Student tried for torturing soldiers

JAKARTA (JP): Annas Alamudi, a student from the University of Indonesia, was indicted at the Central Jakarta District Court on Wednesday on charges of torturing and attempting to kill eight soldiers in a student demonstration last year.

Prosecutor M. Purba said in his indictment that Annas, 22, drove his VW Safari car at high speed through a cordon of troops on Jl. Imam Bonjol in Central Jakarta on Nov. 11.

"The car hit several soldiers. If the soldiers had not avoided the car, it would have killed them," Purba said.

He said Annas, accompanied by his friends Amirul, Kiki, Firman and an unidentified senior high school student, set out at about 4:30 p.m. to the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) building in a demonstration protesting the General Session of the Assembly.

He said the defendant's car was followed by hundreds of other students, many of them riding motorcycles. Hundreds of troops blocked them from continuing the rally to the building on Jl. Gatot Subroto, Central Jakarta.

Many of the students who rode motorcycles left the scene upon seeing the soldiers, but the defendant drove his car at high speed toward the cordon, hitting eight of the soldiers, he said.

The law school student then escaped through the Hotel Indonesia roundabout before being arrested on Jl. Blora, he said.

Purba charged Annas under Articles 338 and 351 (2) of the Criminal Code which carry maximum punishments of 10 years and five years in jail respectively.

Annas, who is not being detained in custody, was accompanied by four lawyers from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute led by Apong Herlina.

Wearing the university's yellow jacket, a white T-shirt and blue jeans, Annas said, in response to the indictment, that he was the victim in the rally.

"I was beaten and my car was damaged, but I'm tried here. We conducted a peaceful rally at the time," Annas said at the trial, which was attended by scores of his supporters.

He questioned why soldiers who beat students and journalists during the rally were not tried and remained at large.

Lawyer Apong asked the court to drop the charge, saying the indictment was inaccurate, unclear and incomplete.

"The indictment wrongly stated the address of Annas. It also inaccurately stated the number of victims."

She said the defendant's dossier stated the number of soldiers who were victims in the incident was nine, instead of eight as stated in the indictment.

She said the indictment also stated that one of the soldiers, identified as First Sgt. Sanusi, suffered a broken left leg, but a medical record stated that Sanusi only suffered bruises to his left leg.

Based on a psychological test undertaken by the defendant, it was impossible that Annas intended to kill or torture the soldiers, she said.

"The defendant was on the way to the MPR building. He did not intentionally approach the soldiers."

Presiding judge Hupoyo adjourned the trial until next week to hear the prosecutor's response statement. (jun)