JUBILEE CAMPAIGN United Kingdom

For immediate release March 23, 2003 JUBILEE REVEALS FALSE EVIDENCE IN DAMANIK TRIAL

PALU, Indonesia – The Christian based human rights lobby group, Jubilee Campaign has exposed the use of false evidence in the case of Rev. Rinaldy Damanik, the persecuted leader of the Protestant Christian community in Central Sulawesi who has been framed by the Indonesian authorities on illegal possession of weapons charges.

A Jubilee Campaign team attending the trial heard the testimonies of two policemen giving inconsistent evidence regarding the incident leading to Damanik’s arrest.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to attend the trial and are pleased to see that proper procedures are being followed in the case,” said Ann Buwalda, director of Jubilee Campaign USA. “However, we were shocked by the glaring factual inconsistencies in the testimony of the prosecution’s key witnesses.”

During one line of questioning, the witness repeatedly responded that he could not remember, prompting the Chief Judge to question whether he had really forgotten what took place or merely could not remember his script.

Prior to the proceedings, the Jubilee Campaign team attended a morning meeting with Chief Judge I Nyoman Sonanada. Speaking for Jubilee Campaign, Buwalda expressed the international community’s concern regarding Rev. Damanik’s trial. The judge assured the team that procedure will be followed and that the final decision will be based solely on the evidence presented. This commitment to procedure and justice is evidenced by the recent decision to drop language from a change of venue order issued by the Minister of Justice and Human Rights that labelled Damanik a “provocateur.”

For several days preceding the trial, Jubilee Campaign met with leaders and local groups from both the Christian and Muslim communities. These discussions focused both on the general situation in Central Sulawesi and, in particular, Rev. Damanik’s case. In contrast to the prevailing view that Damanik’s case involves religious conflict, meeting participants consistently stated that the case goes beyond sectarian bounds. This view is mirrored by Damanik’s defense team, 80% of which are Muslims. The participants also expressed a common desire that fair proceedings result in a just outcome.

During the trial, court intelligence personnel privately reported that an estimated seventy members of a Muslim extremist group from Poso, who had come to view the proceedings, had been stopped some distance from the courthouse. This is the first known large turnout of members of this group at any of these hearings.

Rev. Damanik was arrested in Jakarta on September 11, 2002, after accepting an invitation by the Indonesia National Police (Mabes POLRI) as a witness to testify regarding the August 2002 violence in the Poso district of Central Sulawessi. Damanik was charged with the illegal possession of homemade firearms that were allegedly confiscated during a search of his vehicle in a village in Poso. On December 22, 2002, Damanik was covertly transferred to Palu to stand trial. It is believed by many that Damanik is being framed in an attempt to blame Christians in general and Damanik in particular for the instability and violence that has plagued Central Sulawesi since 1998.

Jubilee Campaign will be releasing a full report from its trip to Indonesia that will include full details of its findings regarding Rev. Damanik’s case. To receive this report or for more information about Jubilee Campaign, please contact .

********* For more information Call Jubilee Office on +44-(0) 1483 894 787 or Wilfred Wong on +44-(0) 207 2195129 Jubilee Campaign is an interdenominational Christian human rights organisation which has campaigned with over 150 British Parliamentarians on human rights issues world-wide.

Mark Rowland Marketing and Fund-raising Manager Jubilee Action

T 01483 894 787 F 01483 894 797

os.yahoo.com/rlgmediaau”>http://au.photos.yahoo.com/rlgmediaau http://community.webshots.com/user/ramon_williams ——————————————————————- Telling others, what others are doing for the Lord.