Activist walks out of courtroom

JAKARTA (JP): The South Jakarta District Court continued a hearing on Monday despite the weak condition of an activist who has refrained from eating since Thursday.

Presiding judge I Made Somya decided to continue the hearing even though defendant I Gusti Anom Astika said he was ill.

His condition, the judge said, was made by his intentional action, so court proceedings were allowed to continue.

Anom said the hunger strike was initiated along with 10 other PRD members in jail. They all drank water but didn't eat any food.

The strike started on Thursday to coincide with International Labor Day, in protest of verdicts against nine PRD activists and the ousting of Megawati Soekarnoputri from the Indonesian Democratic Party and the general election.

On Monday Anom left the courtroom in protest when the judge asked the prosecutor to read the testimonies of 11 witnesses who did not appear in court.

Anom, chief of the education department of the unrecognized People's Democratic Party (PRD), was charged with subversion for allegedly defaming the state ideology Pancasila.

Of the 11 activists, nine were jailed Monday, while the other two, Wilson Bin Nurtias and Anom are still being tried.

Nine were given sentences ranging from 18 months to 13 years for defaming Pancasila and provoking labor strikes.

When the judge asked Anom to appear in court before he closed the hearing, Anom said he was unable to because he was too weak to walk. (05)