Blasphemy case takes new turn

JAKARTA (JP): A Ministry of Religious Affairs official charged with blasphemy did not deny the accusation that he had defamed the sexual behavior of Torajan girls, but he told the court yesterday that he was quoting a school teacher's observations.

The defendant, an official of the South Sulawesi religious affairs office, had been asked by the Central Jakarta District Court to respond to the testimony of a Pelita daily reporter.

The 44-year-old official is being tried on charges of blasphemy for his statement, published in a newspaper, which outraged the predominantly-Christian population of Toraja. If found guilty, he could be sent to prison for up to five years.

The reporter, Hartono, admitted during cross examination that he had not rechecked the offending statement, which the defendant had given in an interview.

The statement was not an important part of the story, which was about public efforts to contain the spread of the deadly Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Hartono said. The statement appeared in Pelita on April 27 and April 28.

"I was aware that it was a sensitive issue, and therefore my story did not explicitly mention the religion of the female students in Tana Toraja," Hartono said.

Hartono said he had approached the defendant after his presentation at a seminar on AIDS. He said the defendant had made some interesting statements at the seminar which he needed to clarify for the newspaper.

Presiding judge Asmar Ismail adjourned the trial until Monday to hear a testimony from the managing editor of Pelita. (16)