Indonesian soldiers to appeal convictions in Aceh massacre

Muharram M. Nur

Wednesday, May 17, 2000 | 4:51 a.m.

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - Attorneys for 24 Indonesian soldiers convicted Wednesday of murdering dozens of villagers during a massacre in Indonesia's Aceh province said that they would appeal.

The defendants - the soldiers and one civilian guide - were found guilty and sentenced in Indonesia's first human rights trial. The prison terms ranged from eight years and six months to 10 years.

Human rights activists criticized the sentences as too short, given the brutality of the crime, and said that military commanders who ordered the massacre of 56 students and their teacher at an Islamic boarding school last July should also be prosecuted.

The rulings by a joint civilian-military tribunal came after prosecutors dropped demands for the death penalty, saying the defendants had only obeyed orders.

The verdict in the landmark trial is seen as a victory for the reformist government of President Abdurrahman Wahid, who has vowed to end systematic human rights abuses by the Indonesian army, which has been waging a war against separatist rebels in Aceh for the past 25 years.

Last week, the government and rebels agreed in Switzerland to start open talks on the future of the province. A cease-fire is due to come into effect June 2 and last for three months.

Embittered by years of military crackdowns and perceived economic exploitation, the Free Aceh Movement is fighting for independence for their province, located on the northern tip of Sumatra Island.

More than 5,000 people have been killed in the fighting in Aceh in the last decade, including about 350 this year.

After the trial, one of the defendants' attorneys, Burhan Dahlan, said his clients would appeal the verdict.

"The judges have closed their eyes to the facts presented to them," he said. "We are disappointed with the verdicts and will appeal."

The head of the military's legal department, Maj. Gen. Timor Manurung, said the armed forces would respect the verdict, but he said the defendants had the right to appeal if they felt their sentences were too harsh.

However, a human rights activist in Indonesia's capital Jakarta said the sentences should have ranged from 20 years to life in prison and accused prosecutors of failing to go after top commanders.

The verdict "isn't fair as it's only the lower ranking soldiers who are going to be punished," said Hendardi, the director of the private Indonesian Human Rights Association. "The commanders who were responsible are going to go free," he said in an interview in Jakarta.