The Jakarta Post, 5/5/2002 9:42:37 PM
Ja'far considers launching pretrial lawsuit against police
JAKARTA (JP): Arrested commander of Islamic militant group Laskar Jihad Ja'far
Umar Thalib, denied any wrongdoing on Sunday and is now considering launching a
pretrial lawsuit against the National Police over his arrest, which he said was
baseless and lacking in evidence.
One of Ja'far's team of lawyers, Mahendradatta, said on Sunday his client would go
ahead with his plan to challenge his arrest this week.
"We have discussed filing a pretrial application against the National Police, which
Ja'far is taking seriously. We are just waiting for his confirmation," Mahendradatta told
The Jakarta Post.
Ja'far was arrested at Juanda Airport in Surabaya after flying from restive Maluku
province, on charges of agitation and slanderous remarks against the President.
Police used tape recordings of a speech Ja'far made encouraging Muslims to fight
Christians just two days before the bloody attack on Soya as sufficient evidence to
detain Ja'far, although, according to the law, any form of recording cannot be
presented as evidence.
Ja'far was heard on the tape calling on the Muslim crowd at Al-Fatah Mosque to
prepare bombs, ammunition and fire them at their enemies.
"There is no Malino II (a government-initiated peace agreement signed by Maluku's
Muslim and Christian leaders in January), there will be no reconciliation with
non-Muslims. We will fight them until our last drop of blood," the recording heard. He
also expressed his intention to kill the relatives of the late former president Sukarno,
whose daughter is President Megawati Soekarnoputri. (ylt/tso)
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