One year sought for soothsayer Permadi

One year sought for soothsayer Permadi

JAKARTA (JP): Government prosecutors demanded yesterday that
the Sleman District Court in Yogyakarta sentence Permadi Satrio
Wiwoho to one year's imprisonment for allegedly blasphemous
remarks the prominent soothsayer made during a seminar last year.

Chief Prosecutor Dony Kadnezar told the court that the
evidence was sufficient to support a conviction of Permadi under
article 156a of the Criminal Code.

The article states that anyone who publicly sows enmity and
hatred against a certain group, including a religious community
is liable to a maximum of five years' imprisonment.

Dony said that Permadi had made various statements that
denigrated the Prophet Muhammad during a seminar at Gadjah Mada
University in April last year.

The seminar, held by the university's student senate, also
featured former minister of home affairs Rudini and noted lawyer
Adnan Buyung Nasution.

Dony said that Permadi had insulted Islam by saying, during
the seminar, that Prophet Muhammad's seventh century Islamic
government had failed to establish a just and prosperous society
because it was continuously involved in wars and killings.

"His denigrating remarks, without any doubt, could ruin
national unity, in terms of religious harmony. They also (run)
against the first principle of Pancasila," the prosecutor said,
as quoted by Antara.

The three-member council of judges consisted of Chief Justice
Ismed Ilahoede and Justices Antonius Ramelan and Abdul Wahid
Oscar.

The trial was adjourned until next week, when Permadi and his
lawyers will present their defense.

Permadi's lawyers who were present at yesterday's session were
H.M. Dault, Ramdlon Naning, Trimoelja D. Soerjadi, and Tumbu
Saraswati. (imn)