American journalist stands trial for immigration offense
American journalist stands trial for immigration offense
Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh
The Banda Aceh District Court began on Wednesday the trial of an
American freelance journalist for violating immigration law with
four witnesses giving testimonies for the defendant.
Forty-six-year-old William Nessen is charged with violating
Articles 50 and 51 of Law No. 9/1992 on immigration carrying a
maximum prison sentence of five years and a Rp 5 million (US$609)
fine.
Nessen who writes for several print media, was arrested soon
after he turned himself in to the military in North Aceh regency
on June 24.
The first hearing presented four witnesses, an official from
Aceh Immigration Office Imron Zubandi, a propagandist from the
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) Irwandi Yusuf, coordinator for the Aceh
Referendum Information Center (SIRA) Muhammad Nazar and a GAM
negotiator Teuku Muhammad bin Usman.
Imron in his testimony said that although Nessen could not
produce a passport or any other documents upon the arrest, his
presence in the war-torn province was legal as he had secured a
copy of a temporary stay permit from the directorate general of
immigration.
"However, the defendant has still violated immigration
regulations. The permit stated that he works as correspondent for
San Francisco Chronicle, but in fact he also wrote for the Sydney
Morning Herald," Imron told the court.
The second witness Irwandi said during his stint as
interpreter for the defendant, he was once shown a letter issued
by the Aceh Police saying that Nessen was allowed to cover
stories anywhere in the province.
Bin Usman, the third witness, said that he met Nessen when he
was attending the installation of a new GAM military commander in
Nisam, North Aceh in January 2003.
"I saw him take pictures there and got a chance to know him
better only after we are both detained at the Banda Aceh Police
Headquarters," he said.
Nessen's defense lawyer Amir Syamsuddin said the testimonies
supported his claim that his client had not violated immigration
law.
"The accusation is baseless as Nessen's stay in Aceh was only
for journalistic purposes," he told The Jakarta Post.
In late December last year, the court sentenced Joy Lee
Sadler, an American nurse, and Lesley McCulloch, a British
lecturer, to four and five months in prison respectively for visa
violations.
Meanwhile, the intensifying conflict is taking its toll on
civilians. Two teachers, a husband and wife, Muslim Sulaiman, 38,
and Darmawati, 34, were shot dead by suspected rebels in Drien
Bungong, Pidie, on Wednesday.
The Aceh military said that the couple were shot on their way
home after undergoing a screening. The screening which is
mandatory for civil servants, including teachers, is aimed at
netting those involved in GAM activities.
A report from the Aceh educational affairs office said that in
the course of two months of martial law, seven teachers were
reported killed.
Separately, Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen.
Endriartono Sutarto revealed the government had called off its
plan to use Nasi island as a detention camp for captured GAM
members due to financial problems.
The military chief said the martial law administration would
make optimum use of prisons in the province before moving GAM
detainees to the island.
He said that the administration would expand the prisons in
the province so that it could accommodate more inmates as it
would be less costly than building a new one on the island.