Bambang Muryanto and Slamet Susanto, Bantul – Seven of the eight witnesses in the trial of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) members accused of killing four detainees at a penitentiary in Sleman denied seeing one of the defendants being assaulted.
"When the cell door was opened, I heard the sound of an object falling near the door but the defendant had not yet entered," witness Trimo Pujianto told the hearing held at the main courtroom of the II-11 Yogyakarta Military Court on Friday.
Presided by military judge Lt. Col. Djoko Sasmito, the trial session presented defendants Second Sgt. Ucok Tigor Simbolon, Second Sgt. Sugeng Sumaryanto and First Corporal Kodik.
All men were members of Kopassus Group 2 Kandang Menjangan in Kartosuro, Central Java, and face charges of premeditated murder for allegedly killings four detainees, namely Hendrik Angel Sahetapi (Deki), Yohanes Juan Manbait (Juan) and Gameliel Yermianto Rohi Riwu (Dedi).
In his previous testimony, defendant Ucok said that right after entering the A5 cell, an object which was later identified as a crutch, was flown toward him. He avoided it that the object only hit his shoulder. Feeling threatened and being close to the attacker, Ucok said, he shot at the attacker as self defense.
The same testimony about the crutch has also been presented during previous sessions last week presenting nine witnesses who were also detainees at the penitentiary.
"I did not see any object fell. I just heard the sound of an object falling," another witness, Kusnan, said. "Possibly the falling objects are three pairs of crutches belonging to three detainees that were placed near the entrance door," presiding judge Djoko Sasmito said.
The witnesses also said they heard the defendant calling Deki's name as approaching the cell. Responding to the witnesses' testimonies, Ucok denied mentioning Deki's name as the armed mob entered the Blok A5 cell.
Separately, Ucok told reporters that he was horrified and anxious because of the case. "When I confessed during the morning assembly on March 30, I cried," he said at the detention room. Ucok said that as "crying will not change anything" he was ready to face up to what he had done.
He said his crime was influenced by emotions. "I met the late [chief Sgt. Heru] Santosa when we were assigned to Papua," Ucok said. "I saw thugs had killed him in cold blood [...] we belonged to the same class and are like brothers" he explained. Heru, a former Kopassus member, was allegedly killed by Deki and his associates at Hugo's Cafe in Yogyakarta.
Ucok said he initially went to Yogyakarta to look for Sriyono's attacker – namely Marcel – but failed to locate him. He was then informed that Heru's killers were being moved to a penitentiary in Sleman, so he and his friends went there to ask Deki where they could find Marcel.
When he entered the cell where Deki and his associates were, he alleges he was struck on his head with a crutch. "It was in self-defense and with instinct that I shot," he said.
Meanwhile, commander of Kopassus Group 2 Kandang Menjangan Lt. Col. Maruli Simanjuntak said he had put his position at stake to defend the 12 suspects and stop them being dismissed from the military.
"They are some of the best soldiers and they have never broken the law before," he said, adding that Deki and his associates – the four killed detainees – were repeat offenders and often committed crimes, including rape, murder and drug dealing.