NII trial in South Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): Three people accused of taking part in the activities of an obscure organization called the Indonesian Islamic State (NII) are currently being tried in the South Jakarta District Court.

The three defendants -- two from Bogor and another from South Jakarta -- have been charged with sowing public hatred against the government through their activities in the organization.

Lawyers representing the defendants urged the court yesterday to drop the charges, saying that Article 154 of the Criminal Code with which they are being charged was outdated.

The article was enacted during the Dutch colonial era to preserve the political status quo of the time, they said.

Bambang Widjojanto, chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation and one of the lawyers, questioned the charge that his clients were planning to set up an Islamic state in Indonesia.

He said the dossier made it appear that NII was outlawed, but he could not recall any government ban against the group.

The trial has been adjourned until next week. (13)