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NEWS |
Ahmadiyah Attack Trial Begins Under Heavy Security
Jakarta Globe | April 26, 2011
Roni Pasaroni was one of three Ahmadiyah members killed by a 1,500-strong mob in Cikeusik, Banten, on Feb. 6. The trial for the 12 suspects in the case opens today. (Photo courtesy of JAI)
The opening trial for 12 men facing charges in relation to the deadly attack on an Ahmadiyah community in Cikeusik, Banten, started under tight security on Tuesday at the Serang District Court.
More than a thousand police officers were deployed to stand guard within a 200-meter radius from the court. Two water cannons and three Barracuda armored vehicles were also on stand by.
“We deployed 1,095 officers,” Banten Police’s head of operations, Sr. Comr. Budiarto, was quoted as saying by the National Police Web site.
All those attending the hearing were required to go through three baggage checks and no private vehicles were allowed in the court parking lot.
Prosecutors were scheduled on Tuesday to read the indictments of the 12 defendants in bloody Feb. 6 incident that left three Ahmadis dead and five severely injured.
The attack, which was filmed and posted on YouTube, saw a mob of about a thousand attacking a house that sheltered 25 members of the minority Islamic sect.
Human Rights Watch has issued a statement urging authorities to provide full protection for everyone attending the trial.
“For the Cikeusik trial to be a step toward ending religious violence in Indonesia, the police need to ensure the security of everyone in the courtroom,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“Witnesses brave enough to testify, as well as judges and prosecutors, should not have to face intimidation.”
More than a thousand police officers were deployed to stand guard within a 200-meter radius from the court. Two water cannons and three Barracuda armored vehicles were also on stand by.
Police officers inspecting the damaged house of an Ahmadi after it was attacked by an Islamist mob in Pandeglang, Banten, on Feb. 6. The trial of 12 suspects in the attack, which left three Ahmadis dead, opened under heavy security on Tuesday.
All those attending the hearing were required to go through three baggage checks and no private vehicles were allowed in the court parking lot.
Prosecutors were scheduled on Tuesday to read the indictments of the 12 defendants in bloody Feb. 6 incident that left three Ahmadis dead and five severely injured.
The attack, which was filmed and posted on YouTube, saw a mob of about a thousand attacking a house that sheltered 25 members of the minority Islamic sect.
Bebi, 45, is one of the survivors of the Cikeusik attack that saw three people killed. Critics say most media have failed to highlight the victims' plight and instead debated the validity of the unorthodox sect's teachings. (JG Photo/Nivell Rayda)
“For the Cikeusik trial to be a step toward ending religious violence in Indonesia, the police need to ensure the security of everyone in the courtroom,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“Witnesses brave enough to testify, as well as judges and prosecutors, should not have to face intimidation.”
Copyright 2010 The Jakarta Globe
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/as-terrorism.../437317
URL: www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/as-terrorism.../437317
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