Defamation trial postponed again

Defamation trial postponed again

JAKARTA (JP): An absence of judges postponed for a second time
the trial of a printer charged with defaming President Soeharto.

The court announced yesterday that two of the three judges
meant to hear the case were absent because they were
participating in a course in Bandung, West Java.

Two weeks ago the trial was postponed because two judges were
on leave.

The defendant, Andi Syahputra, 32, stands accused of printing
a magazine containing offending articles defaming President
Soeharto.

The magazine, Suara Independen, which is critical of the
Indonesian government was published in Australia and did not have
an Indonesian publishing permit. It is considered illegal.

Andi was arrested last October after police raided a printing
shop in South Jakarta and confiscated 3,000 copies of the
magazine.

Yesterday's session was meant to hear the testimony of
Nuryanto, an employee of another printing shop from which Andi
allegedly ordered negative films of the magazine. (13)