Nessen sentenced, but finally freed
Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Aceh
William Nessen, the 46-year-old American freelance journalist detained in June while covering the separatist war in Aceh province, was released on Sunday after spending 40 days in prison for immigration offenses.
He left the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, at round 9:30 a.m., bound for Jakarta on a Garuda plane before planning to fly home to New York. He was accompanied by his lawyer Amir Syamsuddin, a U.S. diplomat and a relative.
"I am happy ... tomorrow, I will return to New York," Nessen was quoted by AFP as saying shortly after arriving at Soekarno- Hatta International Airport, Jakarta.
He said that he was "well" and added he was happy "everything has been settled ... there is no problem anymore." He left the airport for an undisclosed location with Syamsuddin.
Banda Aceh District Court sentenced Nessen on Saturday to one month and 10 days in jail for immigration offenses. The time he had already spent in detention -- one month and nine days -- was deducted from the sentence, meaning Nessen could leave jail on Sunday.
Asked whether he would write a book on his experiences on Aceh, Nessen said he would think about it as he had lost his journalist's equipment when he surrendered to soldiers in June.
"At the time I had to escape quickly during a gunfight and abandoned my belongings there," he said.
Nessen accused the Indonesian Military (TNI) of confiscating the equipment. "I hope the military will give me back all my belongings."
Asked whether he would return to Aceh soon, Nessen said he wanted to spend time with his parents in New York before making any decision.
"I will have to think first about returning to Aceh," he said.
Nessen was arrested on June 24 when he turned himself in to the military after traveling with members of the rebel Free Aceh Movement (GAM) for three weeks.
Known to have good relations with the rebels, he was convicted of violating the terms of his visa by establishing contact with GAM members.
Nessen, who works for The San Francisco Chronicle and the Sydney Morning Herald, also failed to report his whereabouts to authorities and had an outdated home address on his visa, judges said.
The military initially accused Nessen of spying for the rebels, who have been fighting since 1976 for independence in troubled Aceh.