Condemnation greets `Tempo' verdict
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Condemnation was swift following the acquittal of the leader of a violent attack on the offices of Tempo news magazine.
The Central Jakarta District Court on Thursday found David Tjioe alias A Miauw not guilty of assault or inciting violence.
The panel of judges, led by Judge Sunarjo, followed the prosecution's recommendation that David be freed.
David had already been cleared of beating the magazine editor Bambang Harymurti at Central Jakarta Police Headquarters.
In a separate hearing, the same judges sentenced Hidayat, alias Tedy Uban, to five-month jail for assault, but suspended the sentence on the condition he not be convicted on any further offenses during a 10-month probation period.
Tedy was found guilty of hurling a wooden tissue box, which injured reporter Abdul Manan inside the Tempo office during the same incident.
David, a supporter of high-profile businessman Tomy Winata, led a demonstration involving about 200 people at the Tempo office on Jl. Proklamasi, Central Jakarta, on March 8.
The protesters, angered by a Tempo article that suggested Tomy was involved in the Tanah Abang market fire in February, became violent.
The court's decision prompted immediate condemnation from the Jakarta chapter of the Association of Independent Journalists (AJI).
AJI chairwoman Ati Nurbaiti said the verdict was at the expense of press freedom.
It would appeal the verdict to the Administrative Court, she said.
"The court's decision to release David A Miauw insults one's sense of comprehension and justice though it is not too surprising either," she said.
AJI Jakarta highlighted several irregularities in the prosecution, including, among other things, the failure to charge the defendants under the Press Law.
Prosecutors and Indonesian courts are notoriously corrupt, several reports, including from the United Nations, have said.
AJI also demanded the Supreme Court, Attorney General's Office and the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights retry the case and monitor the proceedings closely.
AJI's city chapter has filed a lawsuit against the police for allegedly changing their testimonies. The case began Wednesday.
In the trial, AJI's lawyers, grouped in the Committee of Defenders of Press Freedom (KPKP), would ask the court to admit video footage of the alleged assault on the Tempo chief editor, which reportedly took place inside the office of the Central Jakarta Police precinct.
Attorney General's Office spokesman Antasari Azhar said it would examine the prosecutors and the proceedings.