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.