Tapanuli province campaigner gets seven years
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan | Thu, 12/10/2009 12:55 PM
The Medan District Court on Wednesday sentenced Juhal Siahaan to seven years' imprisonment for organizing a violent rally outside North Sumatra's legislative council.
He was found guilty of inciting a crowd to anarchy.
The Feb. 3, 2009 rally, involving supporters of a petition to form a Tapanuli province, led to the death of North Sumatra legislative Speaker Abdul Aziz Angkat after he was mobbed by the crowd.
The panel of judges said Juhal, head of the organizing committee to create Tapanuli province, together with another rally mastermind Chandra Panggabean forced Aziz to sign a recommendation to form Tapanuli province at the council building's VIP room.
Presiding judge I. Gede Ngurah Adyana said Juhal was also guilty of inciting thousands of people to attack Aziz. Prosecutors sought an 11-year jail term for Juhal.
Gede said that based on witness testimonies, Juhal was not guilty of the prosecutors' charge of premeditated murder. However he was guilty of incitement and was involved in breaking up a plenary session, he added.
Gede said Juhal and other Tapanuli province supporters entered the plenary room of the council after breaking through a police cordon at the front door. They later ransacked the room and vandalized council facilities. They then entered the VIP room and forced Aziz to sign the recommendation. "It was then a number of witnesses saw and heard Juhal incite the crowd to hit Aziz when he was about to leave the room because he could not stand the pressure."
The defendant's lawyer said they would file for an appeal, while prosecutors said they would consider it.
Juhal was the last key instigator convicted by the court. In earlier trials, seven organizers of the violent rally have also been convicted and sentenced to jail terms. Three of them are former legislators - Chandra Panggabean (eight years), Datumira Simanjuntak (seven years) and Burhanuddin Radjagukguk (four years). Sinar Indonesia Baru daily managing editor Viktor Siahaan was sentenced to four years, lecturer Hasudungan Butar-Butar to two years, activist Jhon Haidel Samosir to 10 years and Parles Sianturi to four years in prison.
