Student tried for torturing soldiers

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)