SIRA head gets one year in jail<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Central Jakarta District Court sentenced the Aceh
\nReferendum Information Center (SIRA)'s Jakarta office chairman,
\nFaisal Syaifuddin, to a year in prison on Wednesday after finding
\nhim guilty of spreading hatred and hostility against the
\nIndonesian government.<\/p>\n
The panel of judges, chaired by Iskandar Tjakke, stated in its
\nverdict that Faisal, 32, was guilty as charged as he had staged
\nrallies outside the United Nations building on Jl. M.H. Thamrin,
\nCentral Jakarta, in November and December 2000.<\/p>\n
During the rallies, Faisal, along with other SIRA
\ndemonstrators, distributed posters which could endanger the
\ncountry's unity, Iskandar said in the verdict.<\/p>\n
The sentence was less than the two-year sentence demanded by
\nprosecutor Ramdanu Dwiyantoro.<\/p>\n
After listening to the verdict, the heavily bearded Faisal,
\nwho was clad in a brown shirt and peci (Islamic cap), stated that
\nhe would appeal. He also rejected the impression created during
\nthe trial that SIRA was closely linked to the Free Aceh Movement
\n(GAM).<\/p>\n
Faisal's lawyer Johnson Panjaitan of the Indonesian Legal Aid
\nand Human Rights Association (PBHI), said his client had
\npreviously been accused of involvement in a bomb blast in
\nManggarai, South Jakarta, in 2001, which was linked to SIRA. But
\nlater, due to lack of evidence, the charge against Faisal was
\nconverted to his involvement in the demonstration.<\/p>\n
He also criticized the charging of his client under article
\n154 of the Criminal Code on spreading hatred. He said that this
\narticle had been adopted during the colonial period to deal with
\npro-independence activists.<\/p>\n
Before the trial began at 12:39 p.m., about 30 members of SIRA
\nbearing posters and placards staged a rally at the courthouse to
\ndemand that the court set Faisal free.<\/p>\n
Among those in attendance at the court were Sri Bintang
\nPamungkas, chairman of the Indonesian Union Democratic Party
\n(PUDI). About 30 police officers carrying rifles were deployed at
\nthe courthouse to prevent trouble.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sira-head-gets-one-year-in-jail-1447893297",
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