Office boy gets 20 months in jail

Office boy gets 20 months in jail

JAKARTA (JP): An office boy was sentenced yesterday to 20
months imprisonment, after the Central Jakarta District Court
found him guilty of helping distribute a magazine that allegedly
incited public hatred of the government.

Handing down the sentence, presiding judge Soehardjo said
that Danang Kukuh Wardoyo, 19, had been found guilty of helping
activists Ahmad Taufik and Eko Maryadi, of the unrecognized
Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), sow hatred and enmity
against the government with the distribution and sale of AJI's
unlicensed publication Independen.

Under the existing regulations, all publications are required
to have publishing licenses issued by the Ministry of
Information.

Danang, the judge said, also helped Eko serve subscribers of
Independen and took part in selling the magazines to guests at a
reception organized by AJI at the Wisata International Hotel on
March 16, where Danang, Eko and Ahmad were arrested.

Eko and Ahmad are awaiting verdicts, at the same court, on
charges of spreading animosity against the government and
insulting it. Both are former journalists of the banned Tempo
magazine.

AJI was founded after the government banned three weeklies,
DeTik, Tempo and Editor in June last year.

The government banned Independen in March, but so far has not
outlawed AJI. However, after government pressure, some AJI
members working for local media have been forced to resign from
their jobs, or have been forced to take non-editorial positions.

"I sentence Danang Kukuh Maryadi to one year and eight months
in prison, with the six months he has already spent in custody
deducted," the judge said, stressing that his activities could
spark social unrest and disturb national unity.

Prosecutor Meity Joseph had earlier demanded that the
defendant be sentenced to 30 months in prison.

The verdict was greeted by cries of "Fascist court," "Allahu
Akbar (Allah is Great)" and "What kind of a tribunal is this?"

Danang, reportedly hired on a monthly salary of Rp 100,000
(US$44) by AJI, is said to be the youngest person jailed on
political charges in Indonesia.

Responding to the verdict, Danang said he was sad and
disappointed and that he would appeal.

Danang's lawyer, Luhut M.P Pangaribuan, also expressed his
disappointment and insisted that the judge's decision has no
legal basis whatsoever. He said the judge should have taken into
account the fact that the defendant was a mere office boy and
only obeying instructions.

"Those under orders cannot be held responsible for what is
done, the analogy can be drawn between a military commander and
the soldiers he leads," Luhut said.

The verdict was also being questioned by AJI. It forwarded in
a statement three points questioning the decision made by the
judge.

First, Danang, who was convicted of assisting Ahmad and Eko in
sowing hatred against the government has been sentenced, while
Ahmad and Eko themselves have not been found guilty.

Second, one year and eight months for Danang, as a mere office
helper, is unfair compared with the verdict handed down to a 21-
year-old female student activist who was sentenced to 14 months
imprisonment last year for allegedly insulting President
Soeharto.

Third, the judge's ruling is also unfair when compared to the
one-year imprisonment demanded by the prosecutor for soothsayer
Permadi, who is being tried at the Sleman District Court,
Yogyakarta, on charges of insulting Prophet Muhammad through
allegedly blasphemous remarks he made during a seminar last
year.(29)