The LBH Wonosobo is providing the legal aid for the 22 suspects while the other three suspects namely Syihabudin, Lutfi Hakim Aziz and Muslih are advised by other lawyers.Semarang, Central Java (ANTARA News) - Police are still interrogating 22 suspects in the recent sectarian riot in Temanggung, Central Java.
"The 22 suspects have been treated humanely by police investigators and no signs of torture have been found," the director of the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) in Wonosobo, Sulaiman, said when asked by phone about his information about the suspects from here on Wednesday.
The LBH Wonosobo is providing the legal aid for the 22 suspects while the other three suspects namely Syihabudin, Lutfi Hakim Aziz and Muslih are advised by other lawyers.
Sulaiman said that his clients were actually mere victims and had only followed orders to conduct anarchism and therefore their criminal elements were non-existence of weak.
However he agreed that anyone committing a crime must be punished. "We are going to give legal aid maximally to the suspects especially during their trial because during police investigation we could only act passively," he said.
He said lawyers from the LBH Wonosobo would demand the lightest possible sentence for them as they are only victims.
A total of 25 suspects in the rioting that led to the burning of two churches and vandalizing of another church on February 12 have been moved from the Temanggung resort police station to the Central Java regional police headquarters (22) and the Semarang city police station (Syihabudin and Lutfi Hakim Aziz). Where Muslih has been interrogated is not known so far.
According to information from a source at the Central Java regional office of the ministry of justice and human rights, Antonius Richmond Bawengan, whose five year sentence for blaspheming a religion had been considered too lenient and triggering the rioting, had been moved to Kedungpane penitentiary in Semarang for his security.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
