Permadi describes life in jail as 'horrifying'
Permadi describes life in jail as 'horrifying'
JAKARTA (JP): Controversial soothsayer Permadi Satrio Wiwoho
described his six months behind prison bars as "horrifying".
Permadi, who may have to go back to the Wirogunan correctional
facility in Yogyakarta, visited the Indonesian Democratic Party
(PDI) faction at the House of Representatives yesterday to
recount some terrifying tales of prison life.
He said he hoped his story would be considered by the faction
as the House debates a bill on the correctional system.
Prison inmates are treated not only as criminals, but also as
"commodities", he told the PDI representatives.
"Families of the inmates have to pay bribes to the wardens to
get permission to see the prisoners," he said.
Narcotics and alcoholic drinks are freely sold in prison, as
long as the prison officials and the police receive their money,
he added.
Some inmates said they did not receive the remissions they
were entitled to this year because they did not pay enough bribes
to the officers, he said.
Permadi also related stories of inmates torturing fellow
inmates, with convicted rapists among the most popular targets.
The soothsayer said, however, that he would not blame police
or prison officials for taking bribes because they are poorly
paid.
"This is a structural problem," he said.
Permadi was convicted by a Yogyakarta court last month of
blasphemy for calling Prophet Muhammad a "dictator" during a
seminar last year. He was sentenced to seven months imprisonment.
Permadi, who has insisted on his innocence, spent six months
in jail during the trial process.
However, the Yogyakarta high court released him on a legal
technicality pending the outcome of his appeal against the
sentence. If the higher court upholds the sentence, he would have
to serve the remaining time of his term.
Unlike in his previous public appearances, when he wore all
black, Permadi yesterday turned up in a black shirt adorned with
a huge red and white decoration which he said was the emblem of
the Majapahit, the Hindu kingdom which ruled Java and most of
what is now Indonesia in the 14th century.
"I hope my experiences in jail will be a useful source of
information for the PDI in debating the bill," he told the PDI
representatives Soetarjo Soerjoguritno, Sabam Sirait, Marcel
Beding, Suko Walujo, Jati Kusumo and Wiyanjono.
The bill essentially states that a correctional facility is a
place to prepare convicts to return to society and not a place of
punishment. It also stipulates the minimum professional
requirements for prison employees.
Wiyanjono said he welcomed the information provided by Permadi
because the bill fails to address the problems of inmates and has
left most of them to be regulated by government rules. (01)