Freedom of expression pressed

The International Freedom to Publish Committee of the Association of American Publishers strongly condemns the verdict and sentence handed down to Andi Syahputra, printer of the underground magazine Suara Independen (Voice of Independence), and calls on the government of Indonesia to cease its assault on free expression. On April 7, Syahputra was convicted in Jakarta District Court of insulting the President and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. The prosecutor had requested four years.

Syahputra was arrested on the night of Oct. 28, 1996, when police confiscated 3,000 copies of the latest issue of the magazine. The prosecution later accused him of developing 12 film negatives that contained material for the magazine, including several articles that the government found offensive. It also included an article about a challenge mounted to Soeharto by opposition politician Sri Bintang Pamungkas (who was later arrested for subversion). The article suggested that it was time for a new political party. A third article reported the results of a survey on the causes of the July 1996 riots in Jakarta.

Syahputra was accused of having ordered the printing of the magazine from the negatives at a cost of Rp 800,000 (about US$400). In convicting him, the judge said that Syahputra had deliberately insulted the President because he knew the contents of the articles, and therefore could have canceled its printing. Syahputra took full responsibility for the publication.

JERI LABER

New York