Newspaper editor convicted for insult<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Press freedom took another hit when the South Jakarta District
\nCourt handed down on Monday a six-month suspended jail sentence
\nand one year probation to the executive editor of Rakyat Merdeka
\ndaily for publishing articles that insulted President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
The sentence for the executive editor, Supratman, was less
\nthan the one-year jail term prosecutors were seeking.<\/p>\n
\"He was found guilty of violating Article 137 of the Criminal
\nCode on the publication of articles that insult the president and
\nvice president,\" presiding judge Zoeber Djajadi told the
\ncourtroom.<\/p>\n
The 34-year-old editor was acquitted on the main charge of
\nviolating Article 134 of the Criminal Code for deliberately
\nlibeling the president and vice president, which carries a
\nmaximum sentence of six years in prison.<\/p>\n
Supratman said that he would appeal the verdict.<\/p>\n
The case revolves around the publication of four articles on
\nthe front page of Rakyat Merdeka daily in January and February.<\/p>\n
Two of the articles ran under headlines that read Mulut Mega
\nBau Solar (Mega's mouth smells of diesel fuel), accompanied by a
\npicture depicting a woman drinking diesel fuel, and Mega Lebih
\nKejam dari Sumanto (Mega is crueler than Sumanto), referring to a
\nman from Purwokerto, Central Java, who was convicted of
\ncannibalism.<\/p>\n
The articles themselves were reports on street rallies
\norganized by students in the capital against the President's
\npolicies. The headlines for the articles were taken from slogans
\nchanted during the rallies.<\/p>\n
The defendant's lawyer, Adnan Buyung Nasution, said the daily
\nwas criticizing the government and not Megawati personally.<\/p>\n
The daily is popular for its tabloid-style journalism. The
\npaper regularly publishes humorous and cynical caricatures and
\nstories mocking politicians.<\/p>\n
Earlier last month, the same court sentenced the daily chief
\neditor Karim Paputungan to five months in jail, suspended for 10
\nmonths, for insulting House of Representatives Speaker Akbar
\nTandjung.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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