German journalist gets 10 months for visa offense
German journalist gets 10 months for visa offense
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A German TV cameraman was sentenced to 10 months in prison on
Thursday for violating his visa by doing business-related
activities.
The presiding judge at the South Jakarta District Court,
Effendi, handed down the sentence, less than the prosecutor's
demand of 18 months, to Seyam Reda, a German citizen of Arab
descent, after finding him guilty of violating the immigration law.
"The defendant was trying to set up a media service business
during his visit to this country, even though he was aware that
all he had was a tourist visa, which granted him only a two-month
stay in the country," Effendi said.
In his verdict, Effendi also said that the defendant had
traveled to several towns in eastern Indonesia that had been
ravaged by ethnic violence.
"He took some shots in conflict-prone areas such as Poso
(Central Sulawesi) and Ambon (Maluku)," Effendi added.
Reda was arrested in September last year for his suspected
connection to the al-Qaeda terrorist network. He was caught by
the police with documentary video tapes that the authorities
believed were recordings of military training in some troubled
regions in the country.
The defendant's lawyer, however, denied that the documentary
was proof of his client's complicity in terrorist activities.
"The tapes aren't anything special. They can be bought
easily," Budi Setiawan told journalists.
Setiawan said his client was guilty only of a visa violation
and not for possession of the tapes.
"He (Reda) was involved in journalistic activities without
proper authority, such as the possession of an ID card, when in
fact he was only a freelance cameraman. That is what he is guilty
of," Setiawan said.
Saying that the charge was only a visa violation, his team of
lawyers said Reda should not be imprisoned.
"The verdict is too severe and we will appeal within a week,"
Setiawan told The Jakarta Post.
Law No. 9/1992, Article 50 on immigration stipulates that
immigration abuses may incur a sentence of up to five years in
prison and a fine of Rp 25 million.
In late December last year, the Banda Aceh District Court
sentenced Joy Lee Sadler, an American nurse, and Lesley
McCulloch, a British lecturer, to four and five months in prison
respectively for visa violations.