LAKSAMANA.Net, October 19, 2004 11:43 PM
Aceh Rebel Jailed for Treason
Laksamana.Net - A senior separatist rebel in Aceh province has been sentenced to
16 years in jail for treason and possession of weapons.
Sayed Mustafa (42), coordinator of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) division in
southern and western Aceh, was convicted on Tuesday (19/10/04) by Tapaktuan
South District Court, Agence France-Presse reported.
Presiding judge Azhari said Mustafa had bought more than 100 automatic weapons
and ammunition with Rp4 billion ($440,000) provided by four regional rebel
commanders in March 1999.
The court also heard Mustafa had been a rebel since 1999 and received military
training in Libya.
Mustafa's lawyers said they will appeal the sentence.
GAM has been fighting for independence for Aceh since 1976. Rights groups say
more than 13,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the ensuing violence.
Scores of rebels and their alleged sympathizers have been convicted of treason in
Aceh since the government in May 2003 launched a massive military offensive to
crush the separatists.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused Indonesian security
forces of torturing detainees suspected of supporting the rebels. Amnesty earlier this
month said the tortures were used to obtain "forced confessions that routinely serve
as the basis for convictions in proceedings that fail to meet fair trial standards under
Indonesian and international law".
Peace & Fertilizer Appeal
A delegation of Acehnese on Tuesday held a teleconference with president-elect
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, urging him to find a peaceful solution to end the violence
in the province.
They also requested that he cancel the outgoing government's plan to close down a
fertilizer factory and paper factory in the province.
President Megawati Sukarnoputri's cabinet earlier this month decided to shut down
PT Asean Aceh Fertilizer (AAF) because of a shortage of liquefied natural gas (LNG)
in the province. Paper manufacturer PT Kertas Kraft Aceh has also had to suspend
production due to a lack of LNG.
Nur Hasballah, spokesman of the delegation, said rising unemployment in Aceh due
to the closure of factories was exacerbating the province's problems.
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