Student's lawsuit against city police rejected

JAKARTA (JP): The South Jakarta District Court rejected on Friday a lawsuit filed by Indonesian Christian University student Edward Taurus Karo-karo against the city police for wrongful arrest.

Presiding judge Darlan Nasution said the city police had enough evidence to maintain that the arrest was lawful.

"The evidence submitted by the police is complete and legal. They even borrowed some from the prosecutor's office for the sake of the court process," he said after the session.

Edward and his colleague, Rudi Pahala Simatupang Siburian, along with two other students who are still at large, are accused of kidnapping Maj. Sgt. Suratman of the South Jakarta Police identification unit during a protest organized by students grouped in the City Forum (Forkot) on Nov. 27 in front of the Jakarta Police Headquarters.

The two students, however, claim that by pushing him into a taxi and taking him away from the area, they were saving the plainclothes officer from being beaten up by protesting students who believed he was an informant.

They were arrested by city police detectives on Dec. 8.

Rudi was picked up by at least 20 plainclothes officers at his house in Ciganjur, South Jakarta, while Edward was arrested in the Cawang area of East Jakarta. The two were later detained at the city police headquarters.

In lawsuits filed by lawyers from the Student Movement Advocating Team on Jan. 7, Rudi and Edward claimed the city police officers were not in possession of warrants when they picked the students up.

In their lawsuit, the two students sought compensation amounting to Rp 1.5 million for material losses and Rp 1 billion for other losses.

In another trial on Monday, a different panel of judges at the same court ruled in favor of Rudi, who was released from custody on the same day.

However, city police claimed Rudi was not released at the judge's instructions but claimed his detention period had ended.

Hotma Timbul Hutapea, one of the lawyers, expressed disappointment over the verdict on Edward's case, saying that court witnesses, including two police officers who gave contradictory testimonies on the arrest, were not credible.

"The city police also failed to present the plaintiff to the court, even though the judge sent three orders for them to do so," he said.

Hotma said they would appeal to the Supreme Court.

The verdict was booed at by at least 50 Indonesian Christian University (UKI) students who were present at the hearing.

"The court is unfair", "The court is fabricated", and "Long live students," they shouted amid 100 police officers who carried sticks and shields.

The students then visited the city police headquarters at about 2 p.m. and held a demonstration, demanding Edward's release.

They unfurled banners and posters and conducted a free-speech forum in front of the building of the city police detectives unit.

The students also asked the police to detain them so that they could show solidarity with Edward.

Police arrested the students after they refused to disperse. They were questioned until 5 p.m. and were due to be released at night. (ivy/jun)