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)