Yusril Ihza Mahendra: Stop Spreading Issue on Terror to Witnesses

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Yusril Ihza Mahendra, head of the Joko "Jokowi" Widodo - Ma'ruf Amin legal team, demanded Prabowo - Sandiaga team to stop spreading issues about terrors to witnesses in relation to the trial of the 2019 presidential election dispute.

"[Filing] a report to LPSK [Witness and Victim Protection Agency] is like a psychological terror to the public, it seems that witnesses who will be presented to MK [Constitutional Court] are being terrorized and intimidated so they don't want to come to MK," said Yusril on Monday, June 17, 2019.

Yusril argued that the opposing party's request to involve the LPSK was made because they could not present witnesses who could properly testify for them in the hearings.

"Because they are not able to present witnesses, so they said those witnesses are terrorized. While in fact, we truly expect this trial to run fairly and justly," Yusril said.

Previously, Prabowo team demanded the LPSK to protect their witnesses in trials of the presidential election dispute in MK over fears of terrors and to bring a sense of safety for witnesses.

Yusril asserted that his party never attempted to oppress or block witnesses who would be presented by the Prabowo - Sandiaga legal team. "We even suggest them to ask security from the police if their witnesses being terrorized," he concluded.

DEWI NURITA