Office boy gets 20 months in jail<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): An office boy was sentenced yesterday to 20
\nmonths imprisonment, after the Central Jakarta District Court
\nfound him guilty of helping distribute a magazine that allegedly
\nincited public hatred of the government.<\/p>\n
Handing down the sentence, presiding judge Soehardjo said
\nthat Danang Kukuh Wardoyo, 19, had been found guilty of helping
\nactivists Ahmad Taufik and Eko Maryadi, of the unrecognized
\nAlliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), sow hatred and enmity
\nagainst the government with the distribution and sale of AJI's
\nunlicensed publication Independen.<\/p>\n
Under the existing regulations, all publications are required
\nto have publishing licenses issued by the Ministry of
\nInformation.<\/p>\n
Danang, the judge said, also helped Eko serve subscribers of
\nIndependen and took part in selling the magazines to guests at a
\nreception organized by AJI at the Wisata International Hotel on
\nMarch 16, where Danang, Eko and Ahmad were arrested.<\/p>\n
Eko and Ahmad are awaiting verdicts, at the same court, on
\ncharges of spreading animosity against the government and
\ninsulting it. Both are former journalists of the banned Tempo
\nmagazine.<\/p>\n
AJI was founded after the government banned three weeklies,
\nDeTik, Tempo and Editor in June last year.<\/p>\n
The government banned Independen in March, but so far has not
\noutlawed AJI. However, after government pressure, some AJI
\nmembers working for local media have been forced to resign from
\ntheir jobs, or have been forced to take non-editorial positions.<\/p>\n
\"I sentence Danang Kukuh Maryadi to one year and eight months
\nin prison, with the six months he has already spent in custody
\ndeducted,\" the judge said, stressing that his activities could
\nspark social unrest and disturb national unity.<\/p>\n
Prosecutor Meity Joseph had earlier demanded that the
\ndefendant be sentenced to 30 months in prison.<\/p>\n
The verdict was greeted by cries of \"Fascist court,\" \"Allahu
\nAkbar (Allah is Great)\" and \"What kind of a tribunal is this?\"<\/p>\n
Danang, reportedly hired on a monthly salary of Rp 100,000
\n(US$44) by AJI, is said to be the youngest person jailed on
\npolitical charges in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Responding to the verdict, Danang said he was sad and
\ndisappointed and that he would appeal.<\/p>\n
Danang's lawyer, Luhut M.P Pangaribuan, also expressed his
\ndisappointment and insisted that the judge's decision has no
\nlegal basis whatsoever. He said the judge should have taken into
\naccount the fact that the defendant was a mere office boy and
\nonly obeying instructions.<\/p>\n
\"Those under orders cannot be held responsible for what is
\ndone, the analogy can be drawn between a military commander and
\nthe soldiers he leads,\" Luhut said.<\/p>\n
The verdict was also being questioned by AJI. It forwarded in
\na statement three points questioning the decision made by the
\njudge.<\/p>\n
First, Danang, who was convicted of assisting Ahmad and Eko in
\nsowing hatred against the government has been sentenced, while
\nAhmad and Eko themselves have not been found guilty.<\/p>\n
Second, one year and eight months for Danang, as a mere office
\nhelper, is unfair compared with the verdict handed down to a 21-
\nyear-old female student activist who was sentenced to 14 months
\nimprisonment last year for allegedly insulting President
\nSoeharto.<\/p>\n
Third, the judge's ruling is also unfair when compared to the
\none-year imprisonment demanded by the prosecutor for soothsayer
\nPermadi, who is being tried at the Sleman District Court,
\nYogyakarta, on charges of insulting Prophet Muhammad through
\nallegedly blasphemous remarks he made during a seminar last
\nyear.(29)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/office-boy-gets-20-months-in-jail-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}