Activist gets six months in jail for insulting President Megawati

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Aceh

The Banda Aceh District Court sentenced woman activist Raihana Diani on Tuesday to six months in prison for insulting President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Vice President Hamzah Haz during a rally last year.

Police have detained the 20-year-old activist since July 2002 after her arrest for painting a red X on the pictures of the country's leaders. Raihana will only need to serve 15 more days to complete her sentence.

Prosecutors had demanded eight months.

"I am innocent, what I did was an act of protest and not to insult the President," Raihana told the court.

Outside the courtroom, dozens of activists staged a rally in support of Raihana, calling for a just verdict.

Her lawyer Rufriadi of the Aceh Legal Aid Institute called the verdict an injustice.

"From the start we said that the act was Raihana's expression", he said, explaining that it was how the people exercised control over the government of Mega and Hamzah" he told The Jakarta Post.

During the demonstration, Raihani had demanded Megawati and Hamzah step down and for a people's government to be elected.

"The verdict shows that the law sides with those in power," said Rufriadi.

A court in Jakarta sentenced two demonstrators to one year in prison last October after they were caught stomping on the official portraits of Megawati and Hamzah.

The two activists and Raihani were charged with violating Article 134 of the Criminal Code on the deliberate intent to insult the president or vice president. The crime carries a maximum penalty of six years in prison.

Known as a "flexible" article, the clause was often used under President Soeharto's regime to suppress critics.

Although demonstrations were rampant during the two subsequent presidencies of B.J. Habibie and Abdurrahman Wahid, none of them had invoked the article to use against protesters or political opponents.

Critics have said Megawati's willingness to use the article indicates her inability to deal with criticism.