The Jakarta Post
Thursday, October 23, 2003

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam

The Banda Aceh District Court sentenced on Wednesday two negotiators for the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), Nashiruddin Ahmad and Kamaruzzaman, to 13 years in prison each for treason and acts of terrorism.

"The defendants have been proven guilty of committing treason and helping their accomplices commit acts of terrorism," said presiding judge Maratuo Rambe while reading out the verdict.

Both defendants have appealed.

During the peace talks between GAM and the Indonesian government, Nashiruddin was appointed as the deputy chairman of the Joint Security Committee (JSC) set up by the two warring parties through the mediation of Switzerland-based Henry Dunant Centre (HDC), while Kamaruzzaman was appointed the JSC's verification head.

The negotiations resulted in the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA), which was signed on Dec. 9, 2002, and led to a significant reduction in violence.

Prosecutors had demanded 16 years in jail for each of the defendants.

The same court convicted on Tuesday three other GAM negotiators -- Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba, Amni Ahmad Marzuki and Muhamad Usman Lampo Awe, and sentenced them to 15 years, 13, years and 12 years in jail respectively.

The five GAM negotiators, who had represented the rebels since the Humanitarian Pause Agreement three years ago, were arrested days before the imposition of martial law in the province on May 19 this year.

On Tuesday, the court also sentenced women's activist Cut Nurasyikin to 11 years in prison for treason on account of her campaigning for an independence referendum in Aceh.

The conviction of the peace negotiators has sparked concern in the HDC, which said it feared the verdicts would prevent dialog in Aceh and elsewhere.

"It may dissuade individuals from coming forward to negotiate and resolve conflict through dialog," the HDC said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The HDC called on both GAM and the Indonesian government to work toward a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Aceh.

In a related development, a group of unidentified gunmen shot dead a police officer, First Brig. Darwin, his mother Rahmah, 55, his sister Wahyuni, 36 and his uncle, 46, in Pulo Panjo village, Baro Pidie district, some 140 kilometers east of Banda Aceh, on Tuesday night.

Darwin's grandmother Hafsah, 70, who suffered a gunshot wound to her left leg, survived the attack.

Pidie Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Salim said GAM was responsible for the killings.

"Two years ago, Darwin's father was shot dead by GAM for allowing Darwin to join the police," Agus said.

GAM leaders could not be reached for comment on the incident.