[Kabar-indonesia] Defendants boycott Abepura trial

[Joyo at aol.com]

The Jakarta Post 
Saturday, September 2, 2006

Defendants boycott Abepura trial

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

Jayapura District Court had to postpone the Abepura case trial yet again 
Friday after the prosecution failed to present the remaining seven defendants to 
be tried for their involvement in the deadly March 16 clash with police.

The seven defendants had refused to appear in the same court Wednesday after 
one of them was beaten up by a police officer Monday.

Friday's trial, presided over by Moris Ginting, was opened to hear 
testimonies from witnesses but the prosecutors, Maskel Rambolangi and Dadang Setiawan, 
requested the judge to postpone the trial until Monday.

"The defendants are still refusing to attend trial since they have not 
received an official letter guaranteeing their safety from Papua Police chief (Insp. 
Gen. Tommy Jacobus) and the head of the Jayapura District Office (Djabaik 
Haro)," Dadang said.

Moris granted the request but warned that the defendants should appear 
Monday, since the sentence of two of the defendants, Sedrik Jitmau and Muhammad 
Khaitam, will end on Sept. 18.

When escorting defendants Monday after a trial session at Jayapura District 
Court, Brig. Novrel beat up Nelson Rumbiak in front of Abepura Penitentiary. 
The hospital examination showed Nelson suffered head and chest injuries, 
indicating he had been hit with a blunt object.

Following the incident, the defendants' lawyer, Aloysius Renwarin, said the 
defendants would not appear in court until their demands -- a public apology 
from the Papua Police chief and the head of the Jayapura District Office, and an 
official letter guaranteeing their safety -- had been met.

Before Friday's trial, the prosecution had tried to negotiate with the 
defendants, but Selpius Bobii, who has been convicted in the case, said on behalf of 
the seven defendants that they insisted on their demands.

The defendants were also requesting less security during the trial. The court 
proceedings are always heavily guarded by armed police personnel and visitors 
must pass through tight security before being allowed to follow the 
proceedings.

Meanwhile, the defendants' relatives objected to a plan to transfer the seven 
to the Papua Police detention center to allow the prosecution to bring them 
to stand trial.

"We reject the plan since there's no guarantee that our children will be 
kindly treated. Even during the questioning at the Papua Police Headquarters we 
couldn't meet them for three days and when we met, my son's body was bruised 
after being beaten," asserted C. Berotabui, chief of Papua Injili Christian 
Church (AM GKI) Synod, referring to his son, defendant Yahya Eko Merano Berotabui.

Meanwhile, Papua Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Max Donald Aer, as quoted by 
Cendrawasih Pos daily, said he found the demand for Papua Police chief to 
apologize in public excessive since the police officer responsible for beating up 
one of the convicts is facing legal action.

The seven defendants are awaiting verdicts on charges they were responsible 
for the murder of an Air Force soldier during the clash. So far, 16 people have 
been convicted over the Abepura clash, which took place in front of 
Cendrawasih University during a protest against giant mining company PT Freeport 
Indonesia. Each of them was sentenced to between five and 15 years in prison.

Four police officers and an Air Force personnel died when they were attacked 
by protesters, who were demanding the government close the Freeport mine 
because of environmental concerns and the mine's failure to improve the welfare of 
Papuans. 

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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