Suspect or scapegoat?

Suspect or scapegoat?

An intriguing legal occurrence happened earlier this week. The
High Court in Yogyakarta returned the minutes of the police
proceedings against Dwi Sumaji, alias Iwik -- and not for the
first, but for the fourth time. This may be a record in
Indonesian legal history that could well be further bettered in
the coming days.

As we know, Iwik is the only person who has been declared --
by the police -- a suspect in the murder of Udin, or Fuad
Muhammad Syafruddin, a journalist based in Yogyakarta who died on
Aug. 13 last year in an assault by an unknown person. However,
many people who have looked at the facts surrounding Udin's death
are convinced that Iwik is a victim of false arrest, not to say
an attempt to find a scapegoat.

Those suspicions may of course be wrong, but the fact that the
minutes of the proceedings have now been returned as many as four
times gives rise to the strong believe that at least a logical
basis for suspicion is present. The fact that the minutes have
been returned -- and again, as many as four times -- clearly
points at flaws in the evidence, which are apparently not good
enough, not even for the mere purpose of bringing Iwik to court
as a suspect.

Many legal experts have for this reason advised the
investigating officers to conclude their proceedings against
Iwik. Doing so, as many observers believe, would enhance the
reputation of the investigating officers, rather than impair it.
By taking such a step, the officers would establish that there is
no intention on their part to bring Iwik to court on whatever
pretext.

We will all be able to understand the circumstances if Udin's
case should remain largely unresolved, as so many other cases
have remained unresolved. The facts as they appear at present,
however, will make it seem that we are going out of our way to
achieve something by trying to make Iwik face court. Having Udin
as a victim is enough. We must try to prevent having Marsiyem --
Iwik's wife who is now in a state of serious depression -- their
family or anyone else who is innocent become victims in this
case.

-- Republika, Jakarta