T

he II-11 Yogyakarta Military Court is gearing up for the trial on Thursday of 12 Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) members for the murder of four detainees at Cebongan Penitentiary in Sleman, Yogyakarta.

'Please come to observe the trial,' the military court's head of administration, Capt. Aulisa Dandel, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, adding that all sessions would be open to the public.

She explained that the first session of the trial would be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday in two separate rooms; the main courtroom, which could accommodate 200 people and an additional courtroom which could accommodate 20 people.

'The first session's agenda is the reading of the indictment, which may take between one and two hours due to its length,' she said.

Based on the II-11 Yogyakarta Military Court website, the 12 commandos to be tried are from Kopassus' Group 2 in Kandang Menjangan, Sukoharjo, Central Java.

The presentation of the case is divided into four separate dossiers; for Second Sgt. Ucok Tigor Simbolon and two others; First Sgt. Tri Juwanto and four others; Second Sgt. Ikhmawan Suprapto; and Sgt. Major Rokhmadi with two others.

The first three dossiers deal with charges on the basis of Article 340 of the Military Penal Code concerning premeditated murder, which carries the death sentence, lifetime imprisonment or a minimum of 20 years' imprisonment.

The fourth dossier pertains to charges based on Article 121, Paragraph 1 of the Military Penal Code.

As the case has drawn huge public attention, the Yogyakarta Military Court has installed two wide-screen television monitors and two tents so members of the public can follow the court proceedings outside the courtroom.

'Some military top brass may also attend the trial,' said Aulisa. The senior military officials who are likely to attend the trial are the Diponegoro Military Command chief and the Kopassus commander.

As reported earlier, the 12 Kopassus members are alleged to have burst into the prison in Sleman on March 23 and killed four murder suspects who were accused of killing their colleague, former Kopassus member First Sgt. Heru Santoso, at a café in the Sleman area on March 9.

Meanwhile, ahead of the trial, Aulisa said that the Yogyakarta Military Court had yet to receive the report on psychological examinations of 42 witnesses from the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), which would serve as the basis of whether or not the witnesses could give their testimonies via a video link.

'It may be submitted when the court summons the witnesses. The presiding judge will decide on the matter,' she added.

LPSK member Teguh Soedarsono said the court should accommodate the wishes of the witnesses to use the video-link facility, failing which the public might not have faith in the trial.

Members of civil society groups in Yogyakarta said they would monitor the trial and expected the panel of judges to be independent and professional in hearing the trial.

Indonesian Court Monitor (ICM) coordinator Tri Wahyu KH said the case had drawn the attention of the international community and a trial process that was not professional and independent would tarnish the image of Indonesia.