Permadi's trial begins this month
Permadi's trial begins this month
JAKARTA (JP): The trial of controversial mystic Permadi Satrio
Wiwoho, accused of insulting Islam, will begin in Sleman,
Yogyakarta, at the end of this month, says one of his lawyers.
"The head of the Sleman District Court told me yesterday that
Permadi's trial would begin at the end of this month," Ramdlon
Naning, one of Permadi's lawyers, told The Jakarta Post by phone
on Saturday.
However, the court has not yet decided which judges will be
assigned to the trial, which is expected to draw huge public and
press attention, Ramdlon said.
The other lawyers representing Permadi are Trimoelja D.
Soerjadi, H.M. Dault, Tumbu Saraswati, and Sri Rahayu.
Permadi, who has been in detention since March 19, was charged
with insulting Islam earlier this year over comments he allegedly
made in March 1994 at a seminar at Gadjah Mada University in
Yogyakarta. He stands accused of describing the Prophet Muhammad
as a "dictator" during the seminar.
The allegations have been denied by Permadi, who has said the
relevant statement, made in response to a question from the floor
during the question-and-answer session, were not intended to give
offense to Moslems.
Several participants at the seminar have told police that
Permadi went on to describe Prophet Muhammad as "a good
dictator".
Permadi, who heads the Association of Indonesian Paranormals,
is currently being detained at the Wirogunan prison in
Yogyakarta.
Ramdlon said the Sleman Prosecutor's Office had submitted
Permadi's dossiers to the Sleman District Court on Thursday and
that he had received a copy of the documents on Friday.
Police investigators have reportedly said that they would
charge Permadi under article 156(a) of the Criminal Code,
concerning blasphemy, which carries a maximum penalty of five
years imprisonment.
Ramdlon said that the Sleman prosecutor's office had assigned
Dony Kadnezar, Juwito Pengasuh, and Syaifuddin Tagamal to be the
prosecutors at the trial.
He said that his client was in good health and was spending
his time in the prison reading books and newspapers and mingling
with the other inmates.
According to the lawyer, Permadi's wife and four children, who
reside in Jakarta, visit the mystic at least once every two
weeks.
He said that several prominent public figures, including
former Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin, lawyer Adnan Buyung
Nasution, human rights activist Todung Mulya Lubis, and
humorologist Jaya Suprana, had visited his client.
Permadi is also in trouble for allegedly making remarks in
which he suggested that the Ministry of Religious Affairs had
embezzled enormous amounts of money from would-be haj pilgrims.
Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher has hinted that he
also intends to sue Permadi over the matter.
The ruling Golkar party is also planning to sue the mystic.
Golkar alleges that Permadi likened it to the outlawed Indonesian
Communist Party during a seminar. (imn)