Permadi gets seven months for blasphemy
YOGYAKARTA (JP): The Sleman district court sentenced controversial soothsayer Permadi Satrio Wiwoho to seven months jail yesterday after convicting him of blasphemy for describing Prophet Muhammad as a "dictator" during a seminar here last year.
The council of judges said in delivering its verdict that Permadi had sown enmity and hatred towards Islam in the comments he made at a seminar at Gadjah Mada University on April 28, 1994.
"Permadi was guilty of denigrating Islam, by deliberately describing Prophet Muhammad as a dictator," Presiding Judge Ismed Ilahoede said.
Meanwhile, some 3,000 supporters of Permadi demonstrated outside the court.
"Long live Permadi! If Permadi has to face trial, why is someone who has committed a similar offense spared?" one protester shouted.
Yesterday's eight-and-half hour court session was also attended by several government critics, including former Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin and Mulyana W. Kusumah of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation.
Judge Ismed said that Permadi's remarks could, without any doubt, ruin national unity because they could undermine harmonious co-existence.
"The word 'dictator' has a negative connotation. Islamic government under Prophet Muhammad cannot be likened to modern political systems, even though Permadi meant to praise the Prophet as a good dictator," he said.
He 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.
Ismed added that Permadi had not tried to use other, more neutral terms in describing the Islamic government.
"Permadi spontaneously called Prophet Muhammad a dictator, without realizing that it hurt Moslems' feelings," he said.
He said the evidence was sufficient to support a conviction under article 156a of the Criminal Code. The article states that anyone who publicly sows enmity and hatred towards a certain group, including a religious community, is liable to a maximum of five year's imprisonment.
The court's decision was five months shorter than the term demanded by Chief Prosecutor Dony Kadnezar, who earlier demanded the court sentence Permadi to one year's imprisonment.
Dony said he would appeal.
Ramdlon Naning, one of Permadi's lawyers, said the court should release his client tomorrow.
According to criminal code procedures, an accused or a convict can only be detained for a total of 90 days.
"If there is no warrant to extend the court's custody over Permadi, the court has to release him tomorrow because the court's custody period will end tomorrow," Ramdlon told The Jakarta Post by phone last night.
He said Permadi would also appeal.
After the sentencing, Permadi said he was disappointed by the verdict, which he described as "unfair".
He said the council of judges had ignored the fact that all but one of the witnesses called, which numbered more than a dozen, had testified in his favor.
"Almost all of the witnesses said they believed that my statement at the seminar was wholly well-intentioned," he said.
A Supreme Court decree requires that the High Court hear appeals within six months of lodgement. (02/imn)