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Sleman suspects receive high-profile support
Twelve members of the Armyâs Special Forces (Kopassus) accused of killing four detainees at a Cebongan Penitentiary in Sleman, Yogyakarta, gained the support of a prominent lawyer
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welve members of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) accused of killing four detainees at a Cebongan Penitentiary in Sleman, Yogyakarta, gained the support of a prominent lawyer.
OC Kaligis, the prominent lawyer, was at the trial on Wednesday.
'I am here because of solidarity. This happened when law enforcers were not forceful against thugs,' Kaligis told The Jakarta Post after greeting the defendants following Wednesday's trial.
He said other people, including the team of lawyers, would probably do the same if a friend of theirs had been killed by thugs.
'The law allowed [this to happen]. There are reasons for exempting [the defendants] from punishment,' he said, quoting Article 49 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on self defense.
'As a lawyer, I feel that I am in the same boat with them that I want to offer help way I can,' Kaligis said.
Meanwhile, the trial on Wednesday's main agendas was hearing' responses from the military prosecutors to objections presented by the defendant's team of lawyers on Monday.
The prosecutors said they were confidence that nine of the 12 members of Kopassus Group 2 Kandang Menjangan, Kartosuro, Central Java, had committed premeditated murders of the four detainees who were implicated in the murder of Chief Sgt. Heru Santosa, a former Kopassus member.
'We conclude that the reasons and basis used by the lawyers in their objections are baseless and wrong, therefore, they must be rejected,' said military prosecutor Lt. Col. Budiharto in response to the lawyers' objections of charges against defendants Second Sgt. Ucok Tigor Tampubolon, Second Sgt. Sugeng Sumaryanto and First Corporal Kodik.
Budiharto said, in response to the lawyers' objections regarding premeditated murder, the matter had been explained in the charge. He also said that this particular objection should not be mentioned until the examination stage.
The military prosecutors also said that the defendants had committed violations as stipulated in articles 103 (1) and 3 of the Military Criminal Code because if they had been honest about why they were leaving the exercise ground they would not be allowed to do so.
'We ask the panel of judges to accept the prosecutors' charges and to declare that the trial can continue,' Budiharto said.
Similar responses and reasoning were also cited in the trials of the other defendants.
The trial was adjourned until Friday, when the judges would decide whether the trials should continue.
The 12 Kopassus members are accused of storming into a prison in Sleman on March 23 and executing four individuals; who had been incarcerated for their alleged role in the murder of killing First Sgt. Heru Santoso, at a café in the Sleman on March 9. It is further speculated that the attack was in response to an incident involving First Sgt. Sriyono, a former member of Kopassus.
Ucok has been fingered as the group's head honcho. Nine of the suspects were charged with premeditated murder as they had violated Article 340 of the KUHP, which carries either the death penalty, lifetime imprisonment or a minimum of 20 years' in prison.
