A simple ceremony was held Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of the violent rally that killed North Sumatra Council speaker Abdul Aziz Angkat, with his family expressing disappointment over the lenient punishment handed down to those involved in the protest.
Aziz’s family commemorated the incident by visiting Aziz’s grave at the public cemetery on Jl. Ekarasmi in Medan.
Aziz’s wife Tiur Lina Siregar said the family was disappointed by the sentences handed down to those involved in the violent rally.
She added the convicts did not receive sentences comparable to the crime that led to her husband’s death.
The Medan District Court had sentenced 69 suspects involved in the ally, eight of whom received the maximum sentence of eight years’ imprisonment.
“My husband was killed in the incident but they were punished leniently and some have even been released,” said Tiur after visiting her husband’s grave.
“Where’s the justice?”
Separately, the memorial ceremony at the legislative building was marked with a prayer and a minute of silence.
In his address, legislative deputy speaker Chaidir Ritonga said the demonstration that took the life of Aziz a year ago was part of a gloomy history for council members.
He said violent acts by supporters demanding a Tapanuli province a year ago was obviously illegal, especially it had caused Aziz’s death.
Chaidir said those involved in the violent rally should be given harsh sentences based on their
respective roles.
On the other hand, he thought Aziz should be declared as a hero.
“He died as he was carrying out his duties as legislative speaker,” Chaidir said.
Aziz is recorded as being the shortest-serving legislative speaker to lead the North Sumatra legislature.
He was the party secretary of the North Sumatra Golkar Party when he replaced Abdul Wahab Dalimunthe as North Sumatra legislative speaker in December 2008 but died on Feb. 3, 2009 in the rally at the legislative building.
Chaidir said that to commemorate his achievements during his leadership, council members had decided to inaugurate the plenary hall at the new legislative building, currently being built, as the Abdul Aziz Angkat Plenary Hall.
“The inauguration is a reminder for us all that the hall was once the place where legislative speaker Abdul Aziz Angkat was killed in the incident,” Chaidir told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Tiur raised doubts about the earnestness of law enforcers in upholding justice over her husband’s death, adding the police had yet to arrest three other suspects.
One of those who has yet to be arrested, she said was a man who had landed a punch right on her husband’s face, whose identity was already known from the photos in a number of newspapers.
In response to the matter, North Sumatra Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Baharuddin Djafar said police were still pursuing the three suspects.
“We are still looking for the three men and making efforts to immediately arrest them.”
| 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|