Three STPDN students get five months in jail

Three STPDN students get five months in jail

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung, West Java

The Sumedang District Court handed down on Monday a verdict on
three Institute of Public Administration (STPDN) students, who
were charged with assaulting a younger student named Jurinata in
2001.

Lorent Oktoberi Tahan, 23, San Grito, 23, and Hendrik, 23, all
from Central Kalimantan province, were sentenced to five months
in prison.

The students were the second group of STPDN students to be
sentenced after 10 STPDN students received suspended jail terms
last year for assaulting younger students.

During Monday's hearing, presiding judge Parlis Nababan said
the three students, who were in year three in May 2001 when the
assault occurred, were guilty of assaulting Jurinata, who was a
year two student at the time.

The sentence was three months less than that demanded by the
prosecution.

The three students will spend only seven more days in Sumedang
Penitentiary because they have been detained in the penitentiary
since Sept. 23 last year.

Judge Parlis said the assault happened on May 12, 2001 after
Jurinata saw the three drinking alcohol when passing by their
room.

They saw Jurinata and quickly summoned him. After asking
Jurinata a few questions, they started to beat and kick him,
leaving him badly injured.

Jurinata was hospitalized for months due to a head injury and
broken ribs.

Jurinata reported the assault late last year, after the death
of fellow STPDN student Wahyu Hidayat.

Jurinata was absent when the presiding judge read out the
verdict. However, his lawyer Sonita Wasita accepted the verdict,
saying that the three were also victims of the harsh STPDN
education system.

Ten STPDN students were handed suspended sentences in October
last year for assaulting junior students during initiation for
the marching band.

The incident occurred in June last year, but it did not make
the headlines until October, when SCTV television station
broadcast video footage of the violence.

The Sumedang District court is trying another group of STPDN
students charged with causing the death of Wahyu Hidayat, a year
two student.

Wahyu died in September last year after being beaten by 20
seniors at the institute, which has a reputation for imposing
military-style discipline on its students.

Wahyu was assaulted after failing to attend a ceremony to
commemorate Independence Day last year in Bandung and a meeting
between STPDN students and West Java Governor Danny Setiawan.

Wahyu's death drew national attention because he was not the
first victim of student brutality at the institute. Three years
ago, student Erie Rakhman died after being beaten by seniors.
Seven students were charged in the death of Erie and were sent to
prison by the Sumedang District Court.