High Court Releases Adam Damiri from Human Rights Violations Charges
TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The ad hoc human rights high court in Jakarta has released former IX Udayana Military Chief Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri from any charges at the appeal level.
In the previous trial, Damiri was sentenced to three years in prison due to his alleged involvement in human rights violations in East Timor in 1999.
“We ruled this case on July 29,” head of Jakarta High Court Harifin A. Tumpa told Koran Tempo on Thursday (05/08).
The Court also released three other defendants, former 164 Wiradharma Military Resort chief Lt. Col. (Inf.) M. Noer Muis, former Dili Police chief High Comm. Hulman Goeltom and former 1627 Military District chief Lt. Col. (Inf.) Sujarwo.
Muis and Sujarwo had earlier received five years in jail sentences while Goeltom was sentenced to three years in jail.
Meanwhile, former Pro-integration Fighters Commander Deputy Eurico Guterres was still named guilty in the same case.
However, his sentence was reduced from 10 years in prison to five years.
Judge Basoeki, who handled the cases of Sujarwo, Goeltom and Guterres, said that Goeltom and Sujarwo were proven innocent in the matter of human rights violations in East Timor.
This appeal ruling referred to the Supreme Court (MA) ruling at the appeal level on another defendant, former East Timor Police chief Brig. Gen. Timbul G. Silaen, who was freed from all charges in the same case.
Basoeki denied having treated military and civilian defendants differently in this case.
All defendants from the military have been released while all civilians, including East Timorese governor Abilio Soares, were named as guilty and received jail sentence.
According to Basoeki, the judges made their decision under legal consideration.
Hotma Sitompoel, Damiri’s lawyer, said he welcomed this decision.
According to Sitompoel, his client should be released since the previous trial as the charges made by the public prosecutor were incorrect.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Military (TNI) Information Center head, Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, said that the TNI would honor all rulings made by the Court.
“This came as the best decision for us,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Gutteres’s lawyer, Suhardi Somomoeljono, expressed his disappointment over the ruling.
According to Suhardi, the judges did not pay attention to the evidence that he had filed, regarding the mass gathering on April 17, 1999, in the governor office’s yard.
“We have proof that all this had been financed by the local government,” said Suhardi. (Sukma N Loppies/Maria Rita/Budi S-Koran Tempo)
