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They gave water to protesters. Now they are on trial for being criminal accomplices
Some 172 people are standing trial at the Central Jakarta District Court on various allegations related to postelection riots. Many of them were people stuck in the middle of the unrest, lawyers, family members claim.
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Police fire tear gas at protesters during a riot near the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) headquarters in Jakarta on May 22. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
T
he impact of the postelection riots that crippled the capital on May 21 and 22 goes way beyond the number of fatalities and injured victims.
The violence has affected the lives of many people including the 172 people arrested in relation to the trouble, 29 of them employees of the capital’s oldest shopping center Sarinah, which is located right in front of the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) building, where the riots first broke out.
The majority have been charged under articles 212 and 218 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) for assaulting security personnel and for refusing to disperse after being told to do so.
The 29 Sarinah employees have been named as Achmad Sanusi, Agus Sarohman, Ahmadi, Anwar, Deki Aries, Febriantoro, Felix Ganang, Gunawan, Habib Musa, Handori, Hardian, Hariyono, Hendri Basuki, Hermawan, Ichrom, Mugiyanto, Nazarkhan, Nurakhman, Philip Sinaga, Ridwan, Sucipto, Suhendar, Supriyadi, Suyamto, Syachrie, Syahril, Tara Arbyansyah, Trio Prasetio and Zulfikar.
They comprise 26 security guards, two technicians and a cleaning service worker who were on duty and working overtime to maintain and to protect Sarinah at the time of the rioting.
They were arrested and later charged by the police for allegedly helping the rioters by giving them water to drink and to wash their faces when hit by tear gas, and for allowing them to enter the Sarinah area. Actions that they say they did out of humanity.
The employees have also been charged under articles 56, 214 and 216(1) of the KUHP for being accomplices to a crime, resisting arrest and refusing to comply with the authorities.
