Three month jail sought for students<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Prosecutors asked the court for a three-month imprisonment on
\nMonday for three University of Indonesia (UI) students who were
\narrested for \"violating the law on freedom of expression\" and
\n\"disturbing public order.\"<\/p>\n
Prosecutor M. Manik told the Central Jakarta District Court
\nthat defendants Rico Marbun, Fathul Nugroho and Ardi Purnawan
\nSani had violated Law No. 9\/1998 on freedom of expression as they
\nallegedly did not inform the police before holding a rally near
\nthe official residence of President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Jl.
\nTeuku Umar in Menteng, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
He also charged the three students with violating Article 218
\nof the Criminal Code on disobeying orders given by the police to
\ndisperse.<\/p>\n
\"For those violations, the defendants should be thrown in
\nprison for three months with four months of probation,\" Manik
\ntold the court.<\/p>\n
Lawyer Taufik Basari, who leads the defense team, told
\nreporters after the trial that his team would have one last
\nchance to sum up and rebut the prosecutors' allegations.<\/p>\n
\"We will make a move against the charges, as we believe that
\nthe accusation is baseless. What they did during the rally was
\nmerely to express the disgruntlement felt by the people,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said that a conviction would set a bad precedent for
\ndemocracy in the country.<\/p>\n
\"President Megawati Soekarnoputri should not repeat the
\nmistakes of the past regime, which crushed the prodemocracy
\nmovement,\" Taufik said.<\/p>\n
Rico, the former chairman of the UI Student Executive Body
\n(BEM), said that despite the sentence demand of only three
\nmonths, the trial was part of the government's effort to curb
\ndemocracy and criticism in the country.<\/p>\n
\"More trials against pro-democracy people who express their
\nviews will follow,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The three students were named suspects after staging rallies
\ndemanding a reduction in utility prices, the halting of the
\nprivatization drive and tougher action against embezzlers,
\noutside the official residence of the President earlier this
\nyear.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/three-month-jail-sought-for-students-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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