Supervisor gets 13 years for murdering Marsinah

JAKARTA (JP): Karyono Wongso, alias Ayib, a supervisor of a watchmaking plant near Surabaya, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for his role in the murder of labor activist Marsinah last year.

The Surabaya District Court on Monday found Karyono guilty of plotting the murder in collaboration with other executives and security guards of PT Catur Putra Surya in Porong.

The court said he directed the others to kidnap, torture and eventually kill Marsinah, the Antara news agency reported.

The seventh person to be convicted in connection with the killing, Karyono received the stiffest term. Five men received 12 years and one woman got seven months.

The company's owner, Judi Susanto, is likely to receive the heaviest sentence because the prosecution has accused him of masterminding the murder. Government prosecutors have demanded a 20-year jail term.

Marsinah had led a workers' strike a few days before she disappeared in May. Her badly mutilated body was found on May 9 and the police investigation led to the trials of the eight men and one woman. An army corporal is also facing a military tribunal for his alleged role in the murder.

Upon hearing the guilty verdict, Karyono quickly announced he would appeal, reiterating the stance he has maintained throughout the trial that he had nothing to do with the murder.

During the court hearing, it was established that Marsinah, in the course of the negotiations for better pay for her fellow workers, had threatened to go public with some of the irregularities within the company.

The prosecution argued that this was the prime motive behind the murder.

In a separate trial, Judi Susanto on Monday also maintained his innocence and said that he and the other eight co-defendants have been forced by the authorities to take the rap because they could not find the real murderers.

The killing of Marsinah put Indonesia's human rights and labor rights records under the international spotlight, placing strong pressure upon the government to show that justice is being served. (17)