National

Sweden Names GAM Leader Hasan Tiro as Suspect
28 April 2004

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The Stockholm Prosecutors’ Office in Sweden is to summon three leaders of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) residing in the country as suspects in the GAM rebellion case in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) province.

“The Stockholm Prosecutors’ Office head, Thomas Lindstrand, plans to question these GAM leaders in May,” said Tempo News Room’s source in Sweden.

This source said that the other GAM leader in Sweden, Teungku Zakaria Zaman, would also be questioned in this matter.

However, this source said, the questioning of the three GAM leaders might not be conducted if the evidence promised by the National Police headquarters (HQ) does not arrive in Sweden soon.

Lindstrand was reported to have sent a letter requesting the evidence from the Indonesian Government, including disks, a computer laptop containing e-mails of GAM members in Indonesia and GAM leaders in Stockholm, and funds transfer invoices, at the end of last March.

Lindstrand said that he could only summon Tiro, Malik and Zaini after he received the evidence.

“We can not do anything before we receive the evidence,” Lindstrand told Tempo News Room’s source.

Lindstrand also stated that if the evidence did not arrive in Sweden until June, the questioning might be delayed until September.

Zaini Abdullah stated that he was prepared for the questioning of him and the other GAM leaders in Sweden.

He added that he would file a lawsuit against the Indonesian Government in order to prove the violence committed by Indonesian security personnel against the Acehneses.

According to Abdullah, all proof regarding this lawsuit has been handed over to their lawyer and expert in international law, Leif Silbersky.

The National Police HQ’s first director on security and trans-national, Brig. Gen. Aryanto Sutadi, said that he was yet to find out about the request from Lindstrand.

“I know nothing about that. Everything regarding this case is still under process,” stated Sutadi.(Faisal/Martha Warta-Tempo News Room)