Blasphemy case takes new turn

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)