Jakarta – The South Jakarta district court Monday ruled that a student activist, arrested on suspicion of abducting a police intelligence officer should be released as his arrest did not follow legal procedures.

South Jakarta court presiding judge Sultan Mangun ruled in favor of Indonesian Christian University student Rudi Pahala Simatupang Siburian who charged that the Jakarta police had illegally arrested him, a witness said.

"The court finds the arrest on the plaintiff as illegal and the defendant should immediately release him," Mangun said, reading the verdict.

Siburian and fellow student Edward Taurus Sikaro-karo were arrested on December 8 on suspicion of kidnapping and robbery with violence in connection with the abduction of an intelligence agent during a student protest in November.

Both have separately lodged a protest with the police demanding that they be released as they were arrested without warrants and their detention did not follow proper procedures. The same court is due to hand down a verdict in the case of Sikaro-karo on Thursday, after the Moslem Eid al-Fitr celebration.

The court on Monday also granted one million rupiah (114 dollars) out of the one billion rupiah of material losses demanded by the plaintiff from the police for his arrest and detention.