LAKSAMANA.Net, October 21, 2003 11:58 PM
Aceh Negotiators & Activist Jailed
Laksamana.Net - Three negotiators for separatist rebels in Aceh province have been
sentenced to lengthy jail terms, while a women's' rights activist has also been jailed
for treason.
Banda Aceh District Court on Tuesday (21/10/03) sentenced negotiator Sofyan
Ibrahim Tiba to 15 years in jail for "violating anti-terrorism legislation and the criminal
code".
The court said he had plotted to collect taxes in Aceh to buy weapons for the
outlawed Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
Fellow negotiator Amni bin Ahmad Marzuki was sentenced to 12 years in jail for being
"an auxiliary" in acts of treason and terrorism.
As he was being led out of the court, he raised his fist and shouted: "Let's keep
fighting for peace in Aceh," Agence France-Presse reported.
A third negotiator, Teungku Muhamad Lampo Awe, was sentenced to 13 years behind
bars had violated anti-terrorism legislation by "plotting" acts of arson, murder and
bombings.
"The defendant was guilty of treason through these actions. He knew of the rebels'
actions in the field," presiding judge Syaiful Azwir was quoted as saying by the
Associated Press.
Awe's lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution said he would appeal the verdict because his
client was merely a negotiator and the court failed to prove Awe had undermined the
Indonesian government.
The negotiators had participated in internationally mediated peace talks for Aceh that
in December 2002 led to a temporary cease-fire in the province. But they were
arrested in May while attempting to leave the province to attend further talks in Japan
to prevent the peace accord from collapsing.
They were soon released and then re-arrested when the truce collapsed on May 18.
The following day, President Megawati Sukarnoputri placed Aceh under martial law
and launched a massive military offensive to crush the rebel movement.
Now in its sixth month, the offensive has claimed about 1,200 lives.
GAM has been fighting for independence in resource-rich Aceh since 1976. The
conflict has claimed an estimated 12,000 lives, mostly civilians.
Women's Rights Activist Jailed
Also on Tuesday, the same court sentenced women's rights activist Cut Nur Asikin
(47) to 11 years in jail for calling for an independence referendum in Aceh.
She was found guilty of treason and spreading hatred through public speeches.
Presiding judge A. Hasibuan said the defendant had also participated in the hoisting
of GAM flags on December 4, 2000, to mark the rebel movement's anniversary.
"The defendant's acts could have triggered hatred of the Indonesian government.
Therefore, we hand down a sentence of 11 years in prison," he was quoted as saying
by German news agency dpa.
Prosecutors had earlier demanded a sentence of 14 years in jail for Asikin, who was
arrested at her house on May 20.
The activist reacted to the sentence by raising her fist and shouting: "Break up
Indonesia." She said she would appeal the verdict because she had done nothing
wrong.
Asikin is a member of the Information Center for Aceh Referendum(SIRA), which has
campaigned peacefully for an independence referendum in the war-torn province. She
is also a member of the internationally respected Srikandi Aceh women's rights
organization.
In July, SIRA leader Muhammad Nazar was sentenced by the same court to five
years behind bars for defaming the government.
Indonesia's parliament speaker Akbar Tanjung was in September 2002 convicted of
corruption and sentenced to three years in jail for embezzling Rp40 billion ($4.7
million) in state funds that were supposed to have been used to buy food for the poor.
He remains free pending a lengthy appeal process and is even permitted to travel
abroad.
Human Rights Training Halted
Police on Monday afternoon put a stop to a training session being conducted by the
National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) in Aceh.
AFP reported that more than 20 police armed with rifles entered the Hotel Paviliun
Seulawah, where training in monitoring human rights violations had commenced on
Sunday.
"That program was stopped on the orders of the martial law authority. They launched
their activity without notification," Banda Aceh police chief Alfons Toluhula was quoted
as saying.
He rejected a statement by Komnas HAM official M.M. Billah that authorities had
been informed of the training.
Komnas HAM chairman Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara plans to file a formal
complaint against police for "violating the law".
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