[asia-apec 269] PRD/Pakpahan Trial Appeal

[daga]

/* Written  1:33 PM  Dec  7, 1996 by achis in igc:list.labor */
/* ---------- "ASIET/IND: PRD/PAKPAHAN TRIAL APPEA" ---------- */
From: Alex Chis & Claudette Begin <achis at IGC.APC.ORG>
Subject:      ASIET/IND: PRD/PAKPAHAN TRIAL APPEAL (fwd)

From: asiet <asiet at peg.apc.org>
Subject: ASIET/IND: PRD/PAKPAHAN TRIAL APPEAL
Path: asiet
Date: Sat,  7 Dec 1996 18:37 AEST
To: asietnews-l at peg.apc.org
Cc: apakabar at clark.net
Sender: owner-asietnews-l at peg.apc.org
Precedence: bulk

EMERGENCY APPEAL

PRD LEADERS AND ACTIVISTS, MOCHTAR PAKPAHAN TRIALS TO START.

On December 12 the Soeharto dictatorship will begin the trials of leaders
and activists of the Peoples Democratic Party (PRD) and its affiliated mass
organisations as well as against Mochtar Pakpahan, head of the Indonesian
Prosperous Labour Union. The primary, secondary, and sub-secondary charges
against them are all "subversion" which carries a maximum penalty of death.

Among the PRD leaders charged are Budiman Sujatmiko, President of the PRD
and Petrus Haryanto, PRD Secretary-General. Charges have also been filed
against ms Dita Sari, President of the Indonesian Centre for Labour
Struggles (PPBI) and Ignatius Pranowo, PPBI Secretary General. Also charged
is Wilson, coordinator of the Indonesian People in Solidarity with the
Maubere People and a member of the PRD Executiv and Astika Anom, head of the
PRD education department. Garda Sembiring, head of one of the largest
branches of Students in Solidarity with Democracy in Indonesia (SMID) is
also among those charged.

The arrests of the PRD leaders and activists were originally defended by the
dictatorship by accusing the PRD of being behind rioting that occurred on
July 27, following an attack by government military and police on the
offices of the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party. Lawyers for the PRD
prisoners now say the indictments hardly mention the July 27 riots at all
but concentrate on attacking the political documents of the PRD and its
programme of protest actions during 1995.

The dictatorship has singled out the PRD for total supression and has issued
orders for detention of all PRD personnel.

The subversion charges were filed two weeks after Indonesia's Supreme Court
reimposed a four-year jail term on one other of the accused, namely, Muchtar
Pakpahan. Pakpahan was jailed in 1994 on charges of inciting mass labour
unrest after riots broke out when soldiers attacked a workers demonstration
in the Sumatran city of Medan. He was freed last December after the Supreme
Court found that there was insufficient evidence for his conviction.
Pakpahan had been arrested again in August following the July riots in
Jakarta.

On November 28 Indonesian judges released all 124 Indonesian Democratic
Party (PDI) supporters of Megawati Sukarnoputri who spent four months in
jail on lesser charges of refusing to obey orders by the security forces to
disperse.

URGENT APPEAL

ASIET calls on all supporters of democracy and human rights to protest the
filing of these subversion charges against the PRD leaders and activists as
well as Mochtar Pakpahan. We urge you to send letters to the Indonesian
Embassy in your country and to your foreign ministers calling on them to
raise the matter publicly with the Indonesian government.

We urge all groups and individuals to follow ASIET reports over the coming
weeks. Further protest activities will be necessary.

We also urge all supporters to help the defence campaign by making a
donation. Donations will be sent to Jakarta for the PRD defence campaign and
to produce publicity materials. Please send cheques or money orders to the
address below.

ACTION IN SOLIDARITY WITH INDONESIA AND EAST TIMOR (ASIET)
P.O. BOX 458, BROADWAY 2007, AUSTRALIA
Tel: 61-02-6901032  Fax: 61-02-6901381

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Web Page: http://www.peg.apc.org/~asiet/

Free East Timor! Free Xanana Gusmao!
Freedom in Indonesia! Free all political prisoners!
Defend the PRD!
Suharto regime out of the internal affairs of political parties!
No military ties with Suharto dictatorship!