ABC AUSTRALIA, 18/03/2003 21:56:08
Lawyers tell court Indonesian soldiers were 'heroes'
Lawyers for four Indonesian soldiers accused of murdering a separatist leader in
Papua province have described their clients as heroes who had struggled to prevent
the country from breaking up.
The official Antara newsagency reports the descriptions came during a defence plea
at a court martial where the lawyers said any guilty verdict would discourage other
soldiers from defending the territorial integrity of Indonesia.
Seven Kopassus special forces soldiers are accused of killing Theys Eluay in
November 2001 to stop him making a call for independence for the restive
easternmost province.
They are being tried in two groups at Surabaya, the capital of East Java province, and
could face 15-year jail terms if found guilty of murder.
Mr Eluay was found dead in his car the morning after he went missing on his way
home from a dinner hosted by Kopassus in the provincial capital Jayapura.
18/03/2003 21:56:08 | ABC Radio Australia News
© 2001 Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
