Activist's sentence increased

JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta High Court has increased the sentence of the Democratic People's Party (PRD) secretary general by another two years and upheld sentences against three other activists who were all convicted of subversion, a lawyer revealed yesterday.

Lawyer Paulus R. Mahulette from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute said the court increased Petrus Hari Hariyanto's sentence to eight years, two years more than the original sentence given by the South Jakarta District Court.

The high court upheld sentences handed down against three other activists: Ken Budha Kusumandaru (four years), Victor Da Costa (18 months) and Ign. Putut Arintoko (18 months), he said.

The High Court's public relations officer Reni Retnowati said Monday the verdicts against the four were handed down last month.

The four activists were sentenced by the South Jakarta District Court on April 28, after being found guilty of undermining the state ideology Pancasila and inciting demonstrations against the government.

The Jakarta High Court made their decision after the four appealed their case. But there has been no formal announcement from the court concerning the appeal.

Paulus, a former lawyer of the four activists, said he knew of the High Court decision after seeing a copy of the verdict at the South Jakarta District Court. (05)