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| Southeast Asia |
| Indonesian Pastor Sentenced to Three Years for Illegal Weapons Possession |
| 2003-06-24 |
| from Christian Solidarity Worldwide, an NGO. Edited for relevance. Reverend Rinaldy Damanik, an Indonesian Church leader, was sentenced on June 16 to three years’ imprisonment for illegal weapons possession in what is believed to be a politically-motivated trial. His arrest and trial has been plagued with human rights violations. Many of the testimonies from the police and military witnesses were contradictory and eyewitnesses admitted to being intimidated and abused. Some witnesses could not even agree on the type of vehicle Rev Damanik was allegedly travelling in. On the other hand. . . . . . Jafar Umar Thalib, the leader of the militant Laskar Jihad organisation, was acquitted on January 30 despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Mr Thalib called for ‘holy war’ against Christians in Indonesia and threatened the President and the Vice-President in April 2002. He was released from detention shortly after being arrested. Big snip. [Rev. Damanik] has been an outspoken critic of the police and government authorities’ lack of commitment to stop the violence in the region. He has also been a key supporter of the reconciliation process and, as such, a hindrance to the activities of the Islamist militants, such as Laskar Jihad, largely held to be responsible for the sectarian violence in Maluku and Sulawesi. The point here is that Indonesia's justice system is still having trouble figuring out whether they're supposed to be enforcing civil laws or following other agendas. Although they may have made some progress in cracking down on the bad guys, they still have a long ways to go. |
| Posted by:lkl |