Farmer protests his acquittal

JAKARTA: A farmer who did not understand that he had been acquitted of all charges protested the North Jakarta District Court's verdict on Tuesday.

Sapiih, 47, from Sukapura, Banten province, stood up from his seat, approached the judges and made an emotional objection to their ruling.

Sapiih was on the verge of bursting into tears when presiding judge Sareh Wiyono instructed him to return to his seat.

The bewildered judges struggled to explain to Sapiih that he had been found innocent, then told his family to take him home.

Nevertheless, Sapiih kept staring at the prosecutor and claiming his innocence as he was escorted out of the courtroom.

The prosecutor had charged Sapiih with violating Article 385 of the Criminal Code for illegally occupying property, and demanded a six-month sentence.

Sapiih was not represented by a lawyer during the trial.

The farmer had been living on the land owned by his neighbor Basirun since 1976, when he was permitted to build a house under verbal agreement with the landowner. The dispute arose when Basirun's descendants recently decided to reclaim management of the land.

The judges ruled that, as Sapiih had been occupying the land with the owner's consent, he was innocent of the charges filed against him. -- Antara