Six months sought for housewife

JAKARTA (JP): A prosecutor asked the Central Jakarta District Court to sentence a housewife to six months jail for slandering the Armed Forces.

Prosecutor Darwis Lubay said Nurhayati or Yetty Sipahutar, 44, made slanderous remarks in her address at a free speech forum at the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, in June.

Nurhayati, a supporter of ousted PDI chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, was arrested on Aug. 14 at her home in West Jakarta.

She was detained with several others arrested for being involved in the July 27 riot.

The prosecutor said Nurhayati violated Article 154 of the Criminal Code by sowing hatred against the government.

If found guilty she faces a maximum seven years jail.

Darwis said the day before Nurhayati addressed the free speech forum, she was at the PDI headquarters to participate in a protest march over the officially-backed PDI congress in Medan, North Sumatra. The rally took place on June 20.

It turned into a riot in front of Gambir railway station after Megawati supporters allegedly broke a police line.

Darwis said Nurhayati, who was an agent for the Angkatan Bersenjata daily, was fired after the rally.

Darwis said this was why she made statements against the government and the Armed Forces at the free speech forum.

In a previous session, witness Mangara Siahaan, a PDI executive when Megawati was chairwoman, said the free speech forum was held because the party's activists failed to hold a prayer meeting because of the police line.

Presiding judge Gatam Taridi adjourned the hearing until Tuesday to hear the defense. (05)