Journalists continue with plan to sue mayor<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Ten young journalists in Surabaya have appointed
\nvocal lawyer Trimoelja D. Soerjadi to represent them in their
\nlibel lawsuit against the city's mayor for threats made against
\nthem last month.<\/p>\n
Trimoelja confirmed to The Jakarta Post by phone last night
\nthat he and several other Surabaya lawyers have been given the
\npower of attorney in their court battle against Mayor Sunarto
\nSumoprawiro.<\/p>\n
Other lawyers enlisted include Rahman Algadri of the East Java
\noffice of the Indonesian Bar Association (Ikadin); and Indro
\nSugianto, Eko Muryanto, and Munir of the local office of the
\nIndonesian Legal Aid Institute.<\/p>\n
Trimoelja earned notoriety last year in his defense of the
\nmain suspect in the murder case of labor activist Marsinah. His
\ndefense led to the acquittal of his client, and subsequently of
\nthe other eight defendants.<\/p>\n
\"The journalists cannot accept the mayor's arrogant statements
\nand moves,\" Trimoelja said, adding that he would file the lawsuit
\nat the Surabaya district court today.<\/p>\n
Mayor Sunarto last month threatened the journalists covering
\nthe activities of East Java Governor Basofi Sudirman because he
\nfelt that their reports showed his boss in a negative light.<\/p>\n
Unless the journalists cleaned up their act, the mayor said he
\nwould hound them out of the city and bulldoze their homes into
\n\"green areas\" for Surabaya.<\/p>\n
The journalists contacted their lawyers on Tuesday after what
\nwas originally supposed to be a \"reconciliation\" dinner at the
\nShangri-La Hotel in Surabaya between the mayor and the
\njournalists. The gathering quickly turned into a farce with the
\nmayor refraining from making an outright apology.<\/p>\n
Instead, he simply said: \"Let's forgive one another.\"<\/p>\n
The mayor did not stay around for the dinner and left quickly
\nbefore the journalists could respond.<\/p>\n
Unlike the young journalists, the East Java chapter of the
\nAssociation of Indonesian Journalists said it has accepted the
\nmayor's statement as an apology and that for them the matter was
\nclosed.<\/p>\n
Present at the dinner were Governor Basofi Sudirman, commander
\nof the regional military command Maj. Gen. Imam Utomo, chief of
\nthe East Java police Maj. Roesmanhadi, head of the East Java
\nprovincial legislative council Trimarjono, and a number of local
\nand national journalists. (imn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/journalists-continue-with-plan-to-sue-mayor-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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