Farmer protests his acquittal

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