WITNESS TESTIMONY IN TIMIKA TRIAL TO BEGIN NEXT

UNCLAS JAKARTA 010704 SIPDIS SIPDIS FBI PLS PASS TO CTD/ITOS I, CTD/ITOS II, GOU SECSTATE FOR EAP/MTS AND DS/DSS, DS/IP/EAP, DS/EAP/ITA, AND CA/OCS/ACS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV ASEC CASC KJUS ID SUBJECT: WITNESS TESTIMONY IN TIMIKA TRIAL TO BEGIN NEXT WEEK REF: A. JAKARTA 10297 TIMIKA TRIAL SESSIONS PROCEED WITHOUT DEFENDANTS ¶B. JAKARTA 9996 TIMIKA TRIAL: DEFENSE FILES EXCEPTION MOTION ¶C. JAKARTA 8958 TIMIKA TRIAL OPENS ¶1. (U) Chief Judge Nurdin announced that witness testimony would begin next week in the trial of the seven men accused of killing two Amcits in Timika, Papua in 2002. Beginning on September 5, trial sessions will take place twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, in order to accommodate the number of witnesses scheduled to testify. As expected, Judge Nurdin ruled against the "exception" submitted by the defense on August 8, declaring that the Supreme Court's decision to move the trial from Timika to Jakarta was binding (ref B). The defendants again refused to recognize the court's authority and take their assigned seats in the courtroom, and Judge Nurdin ordered them removed from the courtroom for the second straight week. Lead Defense attorney Johnson Panjaitan did not attend the session, although other attorneys from the Indonesian Legal Aid Society (PBHI) were present. ¶2. (U) An estimated 50-100 Papuans staged a demonstration outside the courthouse in support of the defendants. Many also attended the session but did not disturb the proceedings. A smaller rally sponsored by the West Papuan People's Front for Unified Struggle took place outside the Embassy on August 28. According to Embassy contacts, the permit for the protest was filed by Socrates, a student at Cendrawasih University in Jayapura, Papua. PASCOE