Abdurrahman to sue two dailies<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): After threatening to take the nation to the
\nbrink of a state of emergency, President Abdurrahman Wahid on
\nSunday expressed his discontent at the press claiming he would
\nfile law suits against two dailies for allegedly spreading lies.<\/p>\n
\"I will file law suits against two newspapers in the country,
\nbecause they have spread lies to the public,\" Abdurrahman said
\nduring a dialog on the reform movement with university students
\non Sunday.<\/p>\n
Without identifying the newspapers in question, Abdurrahman
\nsaid that he would file a suit against a newspaper that wrote
\nthat he had telephoned Supreme Court Justice Artidjo Alkausar to
\ntake up the position of Attorney General.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman maintained that he had never called Artidjo.<\/p>\n
The other newspaper, according to Abdurrahman, had claimed
\nthat the President had broken the law.<\/p>\n
\"The reform movement has been going on for two years, so from
\nnow on whoever spreads lies will be brought to court,\"
\nAbdurrahman stressed.<\/p>\n
The President claimed that he had tried his best to respect
\nand uphold freedom of expression ever since the beginning of the
\nreform era as such freedoms were a major factor in boosting the
\ndemocratization process.<\/p>\n
\"Back then I would never have filed a law suit against any
\nreporters even though they had spread lies about me because I
\nthought that if I did so, I would be stifling the press and this
\nwould be a return to the repressive era of New Order regime,\" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
However from now on, he said, he would uphold the law and
\ndemand a legal process to deal with newspapers which allegedly
\nspread lies about him to the public.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman has repeatedly accused the media of \"twisting\" his
\nstatements. (dja)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/abdurrahman-to-sue-two-dailies-1447893297",
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